None of that changes the vibe of an August exhibition, but it does shape who plays extended snaps and how hard they play them. Roster bubble guys on both sides know this is close to a live audition tape, and that tends to matter more than any name at the top of the depth chart once the lights come on.
It's a little jarring that both franchises ended last season the exact same way. Arizona lost its final five by a combined score of 90-185 en route to a 3-14 finish that got Jonathan Gannon fired and brought in LaFleur from the Rams' staff. Green Bay's collapse was different in shape — a 9-3-1 start unraveled into a five-game skid, their longest since 2008, including a Wild Card exit to Chicago — but the same fundamental problem: neither team could finish. Both franchises spent the offseason trying to answer that, Arizona with a coaching change and a record-setting rookie deal for RB Jeremiyah Love, Green Bay by locking in its quarterback and hoping the defense holds up without Parsons.
Trey McBride enters as the one sure thing on either roster — a first-team All-Star tight end coming off a franchise-record season and a new $76 million deal — and he's as good a bet as anyone in this game to actually look like a difference-maker even in exhibition football. Everything else here is projection: who wins the Arizona job, who steps up at receiver in Green Bay, whether either defense's depth pieces look ready for October. Friday's kickoff at 7:00 PM CT won't settle any of it, but it's the last data point before it starts to count.