One intriguing under-the-radar training camp competition is in Green Bay, where Graham Harrell and B.J. Coleman will vie for the Packers’ backup quarterback role.
In a story published Friday in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Packers quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo indicated Harrell has made strides since coming to Green Bay in 2010.
“I think Graham can go in and win a game for us,” McAdoo said, according to the Journal-Sentinel. “There is a savviness about him where to go with the football. Fundamentally, he’s improved tremendously the last couple years.”
However, McAdoo also indicated the Packers would “even out the reps between Graham and B.J. and let them compete” and that it would be “interesting” to see how Coleman, a second-year pro, does with increased opportunities.
As Journal-Sentinel writer Bob McGinn noted in his analysis of the Packers’ quarterbacks entering 2013, the club has had an exceptional run of good health at the position for two decades, first with Brett Favre and now Rodgers.
Rodgers doesn’t figure to play much in the preseason, setting the stage for Harrell and Coleman to compete to be the first option off the bench should Green Bay have to turn to someone other than one of the NFL’s best players at the most important position on the field. And as we noted earlier in July, it’s a big season for the 28-year-old Harrell, who’s a restricted free agent at season’s end.