The Green Bay Packers find themselves in a unique situation as they enter the upcoming season. While their offense includes an extremely young and inexperienced group of receiving weapons, the defense appears more ready to compete with a combination of seasoned veterans and promising young talent. This divergence in their developmental timelines presents both challenges and opportunities for the Packers as they look to develop their offensive core while relying on their defense to lead the way. It’s difficult to have confidence in what defensive coordinator Joe Barry can do with his unit. However, the team doesn’t have great alternatives at this point.
When assessing Green Bay’s offense, it’s apparent that youth is the prevailing theme. Their receiving weapons, including wide receivers and tight ends, is the second-youngest group in the last three decades in the NFL, trailing only the 2017 Cleveland Browns. The Packers’ youth movement places a significant emphasis on providing valuable reps and opportunities for the development of these young players.
The movement will be particularly significant after the quarterback change. First-year starter Jordan Love and the young offensive core will need to grow together. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs hold particular importance this season, and they battled injuries at different points last year. Their presence and productivity on the field will be crucial in establishing a cohesive offensive unit. Moreover, the Packers drafted two tight ends this year. While there are high expectations for Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, it’s hard to project much immediate impact at a position that’s famously tough for the college-to-NFL transition.
“That’s going to be interesting to work through in regards to there is a ton of youth,” said head coach Matt LaFleur. “If you look at the skill-position rooms in particular, obviously, up front we’ve got some experience, our RBs, we’ve got some experience, but it’s going to be interesting to see how much we can really put on these guys’ plates. Typically I would say the more veteran you are, the more volume you can carry in your offense. So that is going to have to be one of those things that we figure out throughout the course of OTAs and training camp, and just see where this offense goes.”
In stark contrast to the offense, the Packers’ defense is primed for immediate competition — or at least should be. The team has strategically accumulated first-round draft picks and added key free agents throughout general manager Brian Gutekunst’s tenure, resulting in a unit that showcases a combination of established veterans like Preston Smith and De’Vondre Campbell, and promising young talent. Cornerback Jaire Alexander, edge rusher Rashan Gary, and defensive tackle Kenny Clark exemplify this notion. They either have already reached or are approaching the prime of their careers.
“It’s unusual that it’s that many years (drafting defense early), but I do think that expectations are high,” Brian Gutekunst said after getting Lukas Van Ness with the 13th-overall pick this year. “I sat here last year and said the same thing. I think we had really good moments last year, but the consistency has to be better. We put a lot of investment into that group and there are high expectations there.”
While the defense features its fair share of young contributors, such as Devonte Wyatt, Quay Walker, and Van Ness, the overall experience and maturity of the unit make it imperative for them to deliver results right away. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry faces a pivotal season, as his performance will be under scrutiny after two underwhelming years. Quite simply, 2023 is do-or-die time for Barry.
That’s why the market approach for both units must be different. It doesn’t make sense for the Packers to add veterans to the offense just to have experience. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end Marcedes Lewis would be options, but they are not good enough to justify taking away reps from the younger players. Additionally, the veterans probably won’t be part of the team in 2024 and 2025, so it’s difficult to find reasons to sign them. On defense, though, the Packers could sign role players to fit specific needs. I’ve already written about defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis, and safety John Johnson would also be a smart signing as well.
As the Green Bay Packers embark on the upcoming season under a different reality after trading Aaron Rodgers, they face a unique dynamic between their offense and defense. The need for synchronized growth on offense and immediate results from the defense creates the necessity for the front office to approach them in different ways.
