The Green Bay Packers started preparing for another Super Bowl-or-bust season on Monday. With 11 rookies from the draft, plus several other young players and some lingering questions, the organized team activities (OTAs) start this week in Green Bay with practices Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
There will be similar practice schedules in two weeks, starting on May 31 and June 13. Those activities are voluntary, so don’t expect Aaron Rodgers to be there. Mandatory minicamp is on June 7, 8, and 9. Training camp starts at the end of July and goes through August and the preseason.
Let’s look at some starting, depth, and roster position battles.
WR1
The Packers won’t necessarily have a classic WR1 like Davante Adams, but the battle to absorb his targets will be one of the biggest storylines of the Packers’ season. Allen Lazard is the favorite, but he hasn’t signed his restricted free-agent tender, so it opens space for the younger receivers to step up.
OTA practices are going to be extremely valuable opportunities for the rookies. But they’ll also be important for players like Sammy Watkins, Amari Rodgers, and Juwann Winfree, who are trying to establish themselves as parts of the offense.
RB3
Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are among (if not the) best RB duos in the NFL. But the depth behind them isn’t well defined yet. Last season, Kylin Hill started the year as the third option, but he suffered a severe knee injury, so Patrick Taylor finished the season as the backup.
Besides those two players, undrafted rookies Tyler Goodson and B.J. Baylor will also have a chance to show their value. If there’s no space on the active roster, at least one of them could be on the practice squad.
The right side of the offensive line
The left side is established, with David Bakhtiari expected to return and Jon Runyan coming off a solid season as the left guard. Josh Myers is guaranteed as the starting center. Therefore, Green Bay’s question marks on the offensive line are on the right side.
Elgton Jenkins will probably miss the start of the season, so the right tackle spot is up for grabs. Royce Newman was the right guard for most of the season, but he lost the spot to Lucas Patrick, who’s now with the Chicago Bears, at the end of last season. Therefore, the training camp and preseason games will be imperative to define who will occupy those positions to start the season.
Edge 3
Edge is a similar situation to the RB3’s because there are two established players on the depth, but there is space to grow behind them. But here, the definition is more important because the third edge plays regularly and has an essential rotation role.
Randy Ramsey is coming back from injury and has the coaching staff’s trust. Kingsley Enagbare is the fifth-round pick and has an excellent opportunity to develop and produce immediately. Other defenders who had extensive playing time last season, such as Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai, plus LaDarius Hamilton, will fight for roster spots.
Defensive back depth
The Packers have a high-quality secondary with tons of talent. Green Bay’s investment in the unit has paid off, with Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, Darnell Savage, and Adrian Amos. But it’s also true that the depth is thin.
Now the young players will have the opportunity to develop and show defensive coordinator Joe Barry they can be valuable pieces for the Packers moving forward. Cornerbacks Shemar Jean-Charles and Keisean Nixon want to be more than just special teamers. Kabion Ento and Rico Gafford need to complete a transition from wide receiver to cornerback.
At safety, former Colts fifth-round pick Shawn Davis, Vernon Scott, Innis Gaines, and rookie Tariq Carpenter are trying to make the roster and prove they can be part of the Packers’ future.
Kicker
Mason Crosby will probably be the Packers’ kicker to start the season. However, he will have competition after a suboptimal season in 2021, with the second-worst field goal percentage of his career.
The Packers were carrying three kickers on the roster until last week. Still, after cutting J.J. Molson, former Las Vegas Raider Dominik Eberle came under the rings of special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to compete for the job. We still don’t know if it will be an open competition, but Eberle will at least have camp reps to keep Crosby’s leg fresh for the season.
Jordan Love vs. public perception
Love doesn’t have to fight for a roster spot and doesn’t have any chance, barring an injury, to be the starter. But his third training camp can be crucial to define his market value. The NFL didn’t have a preseason in 2020 because of COVID, so Love had to wait a whole year before his first action.
Last year, he had significant playing time in two preseason and three regular-season games, including one start against the Chiefs. But he hasn’t shown good reasons to believe the Packers made the right decision drafting him in the first round in 2020. Rodgers is now under contract for the foreseeable future, so Love has the opportunity to at least show signs that could lead another team to take a flier and trade for him before Week 1.
