GREEN BAY — Having each been given chances to be the Green Bay Packers' lead running back as rookies last season, both Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn can recognize an opportunity when they see it.

And while starter Ryan Grant remaining unsigned doesn't constitute the same kind of opportunity Jackson and Wynn had last year, both players are hoping to use this week's three-day, five-practice mandatory minicamp to show just how much they've matured — and perhaps get a leg up in what promises to be a competitive training camp in the Packers' backfield.

"It's all about opportunity. (The coaches) didn't say much to me, but I know that I have to make the best of my opportunities knowing Ryan's not in right now," Jackson said between practices Tuesday afternoon. "I know what to do now."

Grant, who rushed for 956 yards in only seven starts after taking over as the No. 1 halfback against Denver on Oct. 29 when Wynn suffered a shoulder injury, wants a multi-year deal and won't sign his $370,000 exclusive-rights free agent tender.

So, he's at the minicamp, attending meetings and participating in the strength and conditioning program but only watching practices — just as he did during the organized team activity sessions.

"I've been here the whole time, for everything. I haven't missed anything," said Grant, who capped his season with a 201-yard, three-touchdown effort against Seattle in the NFC divisional playoffs. "I just can't practice on the field. Everything else, I'm a part of."

Asked if he's optimistic he'll have a new contract before training camp kicks off July 28, Grant replied, "Absolutely. We've been talking, and we're moving forward."

In the meantime, Jackson is trying to solidify himself as the No. 2 back behind Grant, and Wynn is trying to distinguish himself in a backfield that includes veterans Vernand Morency and Noah Herron and promising undrafted rookie Kregg Lumpkin.

"We'll keep the three or four best guys," coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday.

In hopes of being among them, Wynn has participated in the entire offseason program, improved his diet and been more vigilant about his weightlifting and conditioning (he's gained five pounds and now weighs 236, but his body fat percentage is down and his muscle mass is greatly improved).

A seventh-round pick last year, Wynn suffered a calf injury during the rookie orientation camp that kept him out of some of the OTAs, then missed time early in training camp with a stomach virus.

A pulled quadriceps forced him to miss the first three preseason games, but he made the 53-man roster coming out of camp with a solid performance in the exhibition finale.

He showed glimpses of ability (50 yards and two TDs on 10 carries against the New York Giants in Week 2) and took over as the starter at Minnesota in Week 4 because of Jackson's shin injury, only to land on injured reserve a month later with the shoulder injury he suffered against Denver.

With a less-than-stellar reputation coming out of Florida, it was reasonable to question whether Wynn had the requisite maturity to cut it in the NFL.

"I felt like some of the stuff that was said about me in college kind of carried over — what people might've heard about me coming out — so I had to prove that I wasn't going to get into trouble and show I was going to be focused," Wynn said. "I don't know if I got a bad rap, but I felt like I was more under the microscope than other running backs as far as, if I did something, it was going to go down moreso the bad than the good.

"Now, as far as I'm concerned, I'm back to where I was last year. Nobody expected much out of me. So I'm approaching it like that. All I can do is go in when my number's called and make plays."

A second-round pick, Jackson became the de facto starter on the opening day of training camp, when Morency suffered a knee injury.

He started the first three regular-season games but was unproductive (38 carries, 97 yards) before the shin injury, which cost him four games. But in an otherwise meaningless regular-season finale against Detroit, he flashed his ability (113 yards on 20 carries) and gave the Packers reason for hope this season.

"This year it feels like a big load off (my mind), because I know what to do. I have a different understanding of the game," Jackson said. "Last year I felt like I had a lot thrown at me, and it's the same offense this year, and I have a year under my belt. I feel like I can handle it 10 times better than last year."

For his part, McCarthy took the blame for his two young backs' inconsistency last year, saying the running-back-by-committee approach was "a failure ... that was clearly my fault."

But he's expecting both players to show significant improvement now that they're no longer rookies.

"Players need to make the biggest jump between Year 1 and 2. Those two guys have definitely fit into that role," McCarthy said. "I think Brandon and DeShawn, both in the weight room and what we are asking them to do on the football field, are significantly better than they were last year."