How Packers newcomer Zaire Franklin is bringing a different edge to practice

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Zaire Franklin wants his new teammates to know it’s not personal.

The Green Bay Packers linebacker, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this year for defensive tackle Colby Wooden, seems to bring a different edge to practice.

On one play during Tuesday’s session, tight end Tucker Kraft caught a pass in the flat and lowered his shoulder into Franklin on the perimeter, knocking him back. Franklin had some words for Kraft as he left the field, and No. 85 responded. Running back Josh Jacobs and wide receiver Jayden Reed hyped Kraft up once he returned to the sideline.

Later in practice, Kraft caught a short pass from quarterback Jordan Love over the middle and was immediately stopped by linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Franklin, in a move that might draw a flag in a real game, laid what looked like a cheap shot on Kraft and knocked him to the ground after the play. Franklin also played a part in what could be considered the first scuffle of camp on Sunday, when he pinned running back Chris Brooks to the ground away from the play after Cooper stuffed a MarShawn Lloyd run.

“I’m going to press everybody’s buttons, from Coach LaFleur all the way down to Chris Brooks,” Franklin said. “Everybody’s going to get it. It doesn’t matter.”

All this comes after Kraft and Franklin got into it last summer during Packers-Colts joint practice in Indiana. Franklin didn’t recall that scuffle when reminded about it after Tuesday’s practice, but he emphasized that there’s no bad blood between two guys who will likely wear a “C” on their chest this season.

“He’s a dog,” Franklin said of Kraft after practice. “That’s how it’s supposed to be … with Tuck being out there, I told him, ‘I feel like that’s what the team was missing.’ He brings that same energy, that same competitiveness, that same a–hole mentality that I feel like I bring on the defense. That’s what Tuck can do for the offense, so it was great to have him out there, great to compete. We laugh about it. It’s one of the things, I think me and Tuck eat breakfast together every morning. I think we could just decide that we gonna fight that day and then we still gonna eat breakfast together the next morning.”

As for his desire to seemingly always thud someone, Franklin said slyly that he’s just making sure his pads work. Spend time around Franklin off the field, though, and you wouldn’t know it’s the same person under that helmet wearing No. 44.

“When I’m on the field, I’m a completely different person,” Franklin said. “My mentality in between the white lines is ultra-competitor, ultimate alpha. I want to challenge the best, the biggest. I don’t want no little guy. I want to go against the baddest motherf—-r out there. That’s how I feel. I feel like I’m the baddest motherf—-r on the planet when I’m on the field. That’s just my mentality.

“It’s tough when you building relationships. You trying to let ‘em know, ‘This ain’t a personal thing. It’s just how I get ready to play.’ But I’m trying to slowly but surely let ‘em know who I am on the field while also confirming who I am off the field.”

Here’s everything else notable we learned from Tuesday’s practice and interviews in Green Bay.

1. The connection between Love and second-year wide receiver Matthew Golden thrived at Tuesday’s practice. Golden repeatedly got open and caught everything that came his way, with some receptions going for big gains. That’s a promising sign for the 2025 first-round pick whose rookie year didn’t quite go as planned in terms of health and usage.

“Just how fast he’s playing right now, it all comes with reps,” Love said of Golden. “I think last year, as a rookie, it’s tough. He did a lot of good things, but I think there was some times where he figured out and went back and watched the film of ways he can win on routes versus different looks and some of the things he can try, and I think now he’s going out there and putting it all together right now, so it looks great. I’m excited to see him when we get to the season, but he’s making plays.”

2. Lukas Van Ness is probably the defensive MVP of camp so far. After missing Sunday’s practice with a shoulder injury, he returned Tuesday and picked up right where he left off after an opening-drive sack in last Thursday’s preseason opener. He wrecked right tackle Anthony Belton for a tackle for loss on running back Pierre Strong Jr., beat left guard Jager Burton for a sack, beat Belton again for a sack and breezed by right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele with a swim move to pressure Love during a two-minute drill. Speaking of Belton, the 2025 second-rounder’s stock might be falling more than anyone in camp, with last year’s starting right guard now working more at backup right tackle behind Bako-Bewele.

“We were recently talking about what it feels like to get in the zone when everything just kind of goes dark,” Van Ness said. “You feel like you’re one man in the cockpit just doing your thing and I felt a little of that today … some of the guys were saying ‘fresh legs,’ but I felt good today … there’s some plays to work on and improve on, but I felt like I was humming today.”

3. Rookie second-rounder Brandon Cisse was the one constant at starting outside cornerback. Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste and Domani Jackson each worked with both the starters and backups at some point. It appears that there really is a competition among the cornerbacks, and Cisse might just be leading the way.

4. Jackson, the rookie sixth-round cornerback from Alabama, made his debut in 11-on-11s Tuesday after offseason core muscle surgery. So too did veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (knee), who started camp on the PUP list. Left guard Aaron Banks (knee) returned to 11-on-11s and got work with the first team, though rookie fifth-rounder Jager Burton was first up at left guard. Jacobs returned to practice after missing almost two weeks with a groin injury, while rookie edge Dani Dennis-Sutton (illness) and defensive back Javon Bullard (foot) remained sidelined and undrafted rookie edge Nyjalik Kelly (knee) was a new DNP after a strong showing Sunday. Bako-Bewele is still seemingly on a pitch count since Belton is sometimes sparing him at first-team right tackle.

5. The starting offense worked its way into the red zone from the minus-35-yard line during a two-minute drill, but Cooper deflected a short pass over the middle intended for wide receiver Christian Watson and Franklin came down with the interception. Rookie kicker Trey Smack still attempted a 43-yarder and made it. During the backups’ two-minute drill, wide receiver Savion Williams made an incredible catch down the left sideline between safety Murvin Kenion III and cornerback Jaylin Simpson for 29 yards on the first play, but the Tyrod Taylor-led offense stalled out and Smack appeared to miss a 47-yarder wide right (head coach Matt LaFleur took away referees on field goals between he doesn’t want everyone overreacting to one make or miss and it’s hard for us to see if balls go in from the sidelines).

6. I counted another five catches on five targets for Kraft on Tuesday. That would give him 10 catches on 10 targets over his first two days of 11-on-11s. On Tuesday, he made an incredible one-handed, juggling grab down the right side with Nixon and safety Evan Williams in coverage. Kraft continued to the end zone and celebrated, and given his prowess after the catch, it just might’ve been a long catch-and-run touchdown in a real game. That is, if edge Barryn Sorrell’s decisive win against Belton didn’t result in a sack of Love.

“That was crazy,” Love said of Kraft’s catch. “As I threw it, I seen Keisean kind of falling off. I was like, ‘Oh, I think I overthrew this one.’ That’s just a crazy, crazy catch by him, making a one-handed play. But that’s just some of the magic he brings to the field.”

7. For all the talk about Nixon with the twos, he actually had a couple of nice plays on Tuesday. He blew up a Savion Williams end around (fans love that play), broke up a pass from Love to Golden deep over the middle and blew up another perimeter run by Lloyd.

8. Wide receiver and special teams ace Bo Melton left practice early and didn’t return after suffering, according to him, a stinger. He landed awkwardly while contesting a deep ball from Love that safety Xavier McKinney broke up. Melton said after practice that he was about to see trainers but guessed his absence for the rest of practice was precautionary.

9. This doesn’t count as an official scuffle, but defensive tackle Jonathan Ford (6 feet, 5 inches and 338 pounds) literally threw running back Jaden Nixon (5 feet, 10 inches and 199 pounds) to the ground on one play and left tackle Jordan Morgan took offense and two-hand shoved Ford.

10. According to the NFL transaction wire, the Packers claimed rookie edge Arden Walker from the Minnesota Vikings. Walker is undrafted out of Colorado and takes the roster spot of quarterback Kyron Drones, whom the Packers released last week.