Is former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love finally finding his rhythm in the NFL? Early reports on his performance in training camp have been positive, with some Green Bay Packers beat writers saying he looks more comfortable in the pocket now than anytime in his first two seasons in the league.
“Jordan Love has had a few promising days. ... He’s looked like a more confident guy, more confident than he’s seemed in the past two years. He’s let it rip more. He’s stood and fired,” said Ryan Wood during the July 31 episode of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s podcast on the Packers.
In the July 30 episode of the “Head of the Pack” podcast, host Matt Schneidman said Love is throwing better balls and seems more composed.
“There are a lot fewer dead duck throws,” he said. “He throws a tighter spiral.”
However, Schneidman and others also said the 23-year-old former first-round pick has a long way to go before he can truly fill starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ shoes. He needs to learn to call plays based on down and distance in order to “keep the chains moving,” said Tom Silverstein, Wood’s co-host.
“The difference between him and Aaron Rodgers is Rodgers is playing the sticks the whole way,” he said.
Andy Herman said on the July 31 episode of his “Pack-A-Day” podcast that it’s “slightly disappointing” that Love still isn’t playing like a first-round pick.
“The best thing I have to say is there haven’t been any mistakes from Jordan Love. No awful throws, no interceptions, no fumbles, no awful reads or anything like that. I do think he’s taking a step,” Herman said. “But there hasn’t been anything in camp that I can point to and be like, ‘All right. He’s getting it. It’s coming along.’”
Even Love’s best throws at camp have left a little something to be desired, he noted.
“He had a big completion to Romeo Doubs, but ... the ball hung up a little bit (and) Doubs had to make the adjustment. If he was hit in stride ... it might have been a touchdown,” Herman said.
In their training camp coverage, Packers writers and podcasters have acknowledged that Love is in a tough spot. Rodgers signed an extension with Green Bay this offseason, making it unclear when Love will have a shot at the starting quarterback position.
“He’s kind of waiting in limbo as Aaron Rodgers goes year-by-year with his career,” Schneidman said.
And other offseason moves — including wide receiver Davante Adams’ decision to leave the Packers and join the Las Vegas Raiders — have made it harder for Love to get good reps in practice, said co-host Bill Huber on the “Head of the Pack” podcast.
The first big test for Love in the 2022 season will come during the Packers’ preseason game on Friday, Aug. 12, against the San Francisco 49ers. Last year, he completed 36 of 62 total passes in the six regular season games he played in, according to the Packers website.