Green Bay Packers: A New Era in Titletown
The Green Bay Packers parted with long-time quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason. The four-time MVP was traded to the New York Jets and will play in the AFC Conference for the first time in his career. Now a new era can begin in Titletown.
Rodgers’ understudy Jordan Love was a surprising (and I mean very surprising) selection by the Packers in the first round of the 2020 draft. Love had just come off of two strong seasons at Utah State but selecting him with the first round pick when the team still had arguably the best quarterback in the NFL still on the roster was just a weird call at the time.
This didn’t go down well with Packers fans who were screaming for a wide receiver to be taken and it also seemed to annoy Rodgers who went silent.
Fast forward to the start of the 2023-24 NFL season and the Packers fanbase are positive and well behind Love. His teammates and the front office have publicly shared their support and belief in him, while a completely new look offense full of youth and speed is set to excite the loyal faithful at Lambeau Field.
Early signs in training camp show that Love has improved massively on what we initially saw of him when he was first drafted. Accuracy was his biggest issue. In both drills and game situations he has shown his ability to pick the correct pass and drop it in the hands of the receiver. Being 13 years younger than Rodgers we can expect a different type of movement out of the pocket with him looking to roll out at times and extend plays using his legs.
However, having only seen him start once in an NFL game and clips from training camp, it will be a whole different situation come September 10th when they take on the Chicago Bears. Only time will tell if he shines or struggles. One thing we can expect is that he will be given plenty of games to get a feel for it. This is a new look offense and so there will be some teething problems, but Packers fans know that and are willing to back their team through it.
The offense consists of one of the best duo backfields in the league with Aaron Jones’ speed and agility to contrast the powerful Quadzilla or A.J. Dillon. That backfield combined for almost 2000 yards which doesn’t seem a lot, however it felt for many times throughout the season that head coach Matt LaFleur abandoned the run game in favour of keeping Rodgers happy with the playcalling.
The wide receivers are another position that is incredibly young but very exciting. Christian Watson was the standout from last season and is expected to take another leap this season. Romeo Doubs struggled early due to injury but showed glimpses of what he can do. Those two, despite being Sophomores, are now the veterans of the receiving core and have early experience as the first and second choice. Add in rookies Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks provide Love with a variety of receiving weapons to use.
What really excites me is the new tight ends that were selected in the draft. Second round pick Luke Musgrave and third round selection Tucker Kraft are both 6-foot-5 with 40-yard dashes around the 4.60s mark. Adding two big TEs that are solid at both blocking and receiving is a huge addition for the offense.
Last season Mercedes Lewis was very effective as an extra blocker and Robert Tonyan struggled throughout his tenure in Green Bay with injury. Musgrave and Kraft could be the x-factor on the offensive side of the ball and have both shown great promise in training camp.
The offensive line is strong and so we should see Love able to show off his passing ability as well as using his legs to extend plays. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are possibly the best left side of an offensive line in the NFL. Right guard Sean Rhyan struggled in his rookie season but early reports from training camp say he has been the most impressive of all the offensive lineman.
Zach Tom is another Sophomore who has shown strong signs early on and is versatile so can play at center or right tackle. Jenkins recently called Tom “Mr. Do-It-All” which says a lot considering how good Jenkins has been since he arrived in Green Bay.
If we look at the defensive side of the ball, it hasn’t had the turnover quite like the offense but on paper it is still strong. I say on paper because this defense was supposed to be the backbone of the Packers’ success last season but really wasn’t brilliant.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry came under a lot of fire for his schemes last season from fans and some were notable. I distinctly remember seeing Preston Smith in man coverage on Justin Jefferson in the first game of last season. Eliminate things like a pass rushing linebacker defending the league’s best receiver then this defense can be one of the best in the league.
The secondary is led by Jaire Alexander, a real lockdown cornerback with an abundance of confidence that stands him in good stead to take on any receiver. Rasul Douglas is a good second choice corner too and then you add in return specialist Keisean Nixon with some more defensive reps, then we may see some low scoring offenses against the Packers.
On the defensive line there is a mix of real youth and experience that could cause problems. Kenny Clark is one of the best d-linemen around and another second-year player Devonte Wyatt has really impressed in training camp. In team drills he has found himself breaking into the backfield on multiple occasions. LaFleur said “he’s certainly flashed throughout the course of the practices” which is a very positive sign for Packers fans.
The linebacker core received the biggest news of the offseason and that is the return of Rashan Gary. He registered six sacks in his nine games before an injury against the Detroit Lions ruled him out for the season. With him now back and Preston Smith on the other side is a real presence. De’Vondre Campbell provides experience alongside young Quay Walker who after some of last season’s antics needs to mature a little bit and he will be a fantastic player.
Finally, Lukas Van Ness was an intriguing first round pick in this year’s draft. When most expected an offensive player to be taken, the front office continued their long run of not taking a weapon in the first round. Van Ness is a talent and will look to take advantage of the snaps he receives in what could be a formidable defensive front seven.
Question marks remain over the coaching staff. We have mentioned Barry already but there have been questions asked about LaFleur. He has had a successful time so far with the Packers, winning 13 games in his first three seasons and the only blip was the 8-9 record from last season. In-game decisions and management are what worries the Lambeau faithful.
We all remember the NFC Championship Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he chose to take the field goal when losing rather than letting Rodgers try win the game.
Finally, the division is actually quite winnable for the Packers. The Minnesota Vikings were impressive last season with a 13-4 record but many of those wins were one-score games and so may not see the win tally be that high again. The Detroit Lions are potentially the ones to watch as they exceeded all expectations last season to a 9-8 record and you’d expect their young stars to kick on again. The Chicago Bears are also a very young team that will hope to improve on their three-win campaign last time around.
On the face of it, the Packers have nothing to lose and the division is certainly winnable. We don’t know the level of Love, but the early signs are promising and those in the camp are actively showing support.
Overall, it is an exciting new era for the Green Bay Packers with plenty of young, exciting talent to keep an eye out for. They could surprise people and sneak into the wildcard spots.
offGrid NFL prediction: My Packers hat wants to say 9-8 and sneak wildcard but biases aside I think a 7-10 record with plenty of positives to take from the season.
