Aaron Rodgers‘ departure was a long time coming, but his absence won’t be truly felt until the Green Bay Packers take the field again. With Jordan Love under center, the team will obviously look different, but the truest signifier of the change will reveal itself in the way the Packers deploy their offensive.
Day 2 of the NFL draft all but confirmed that the Packers will be Matt LaFleur’s team this year. Taking two tight ends and a shifty possession-oriented receiver signals that they are going to go back to their roots and establish the run. For the first time in a while, Green Bay will operate according to that vision that LaFleur has for the offense. There will be no question as to who is calling the shots. It has been speculated over the years that Rodgers and LaFleur were at odds about play calling, but this season there will be no debate.
In his first season on the job, LaFleur inherited a down-trending Hall of Fame quarterback. Coming from a Tennessee Titans team with Derrick Henry, his schematics were simple: Pound the rock to set up the play-action pass. The transcendent Henry aided those run-heavy schemes, but it also made Ryan Tannehill look like a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback. The idea was that this scheme would soar with somebody as talented as Rodgers under center — assuming, of course, that Rodgers would be willing to play this game.
The early returns were mixed. Per Pro Football Reference, Green Bay went from dead-last in the league on rushing attempts in 2018 (333), the year before LaFleur took over, to 13th in 2019 (411). The passing numbers obviously dropped, to the tune of third-most attempts in 2018 (640) to 16th most in 2019 (573). In both years, the team scored 23.5 points per game. However, the biggest difference is that the Packers went 13-3 in 2019 after going 6-9-1 the year prior. Establishing the run and controlling the clock clearly worked.
It wasn’t the aesthetically pleasing brand of football Rodgers was accustomed to. He was used to being the team’s hero, and deservedly so. His petulance accelerated when the Packers drafted Love, which is what fueled those magical consecutive MVP runs. Those two seasons in 2020 and 2021 were the absolute optimization of what LaFleur is able to create with a talented quarterback on board with his scheme. However, once the spite-fueled god-mode wore off, Rodgers struggled within the confines of LaFleur’s offense. As his performance suffered, exacerbated by injuries, so did the team around him. His attempts at heroics went unanswered en-route to his disgraceful exit from Green Bay.
Enter Jordan Love, who, as far as we know, has no ego problem but also has everything to prove. Few first-round picks in the NFL have been dealt a worse hand than he has, so he will be willing to do everything it takes to help his team succeed with him at the helm. That will mean sticking to the scheme and not trying to be a hero. General manager Brian Gutekunst knows this as well, which is why he invested heavily in skill positions in the 2023 draft to help out his young signal caller.
Green Bay took Jayden Reed 50th overall, and he’s the most obvious candidate to fill the slot in this offense. That will allow Romeo Doubs to be on the outside where he is more comfortable, thus optimizing these roles for all of these young players that are trying to find their way. Reed’s sure-handedness and crisp route-running will allow Love to complete some easy passes over the middle and build his confidence.
The most exciting aspect of the pair of tight ends they drafted is that they can both help establish the run and contribute to the passing game. Tight end has been a moribund position in Green Bay ever since that flash-in-the-pan year from Robert Tonyan. Adding Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft gives the Packers a wide swath of skillsets to utilize. Committing to reinforcing a positional group that hasn’t been effective for many years signals an obvious move towards a power-running offense. Considering how young all of these offensive cornerstones are, it should be exciting to watch these players grow together for the next few years.
The three-consecutive draft picks spent on pass-catchers signaled a new era in Green Bay. The Packers are all in on supporting their young QB and believe that they are adding pieces in the draft to fulfill LaFleur’s original offensive vision. If this trio of Day 2 players acclimate, then some revisionist history may be in order for Gutekunst’s prowess as a general manager.
Regardless of whether or not Green Bay has a winning season in 2023, it is the first time in a long time that the team comes into the year without very specific expectations. The thing to watch will be whether or not this Packers team has an identity, something that was totally lost in the 2022 debacle. If Love plays well within LaFleur’s system and the young pass catchers can be consistent, that is a major victory for what is now a young and hungry team. With Gutekunst committing to the success of his QB, the time is now for these players to prove whether or not his faith was well-placed.
