The secret is out: Aaron Rodgers is no longer the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback, which means that Jordan Love will take over in his absence. Packers fans may not wake up from any hypothetical “journeys” they may be on until training camp starts. However, that doesn’t mean it is too early to start analyzing the new starter.
Love has shown promise over the years since the Packers took him out of Utah State in 2020. He had a good draft process that included a very successful week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. During that year’s draft process and on his college film, Love showed that he could be a dual threat quarterback of sorts with the ability to push the ball downfield.
Since being drafted, though, the Packers coaching staff has yet to let him play the way he did to become a first-round pick.
This Receiving Room Can Push the Ball Downfield
Last year we saw the young receiving room made up of rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs take some time to get situated in the NFL. Watson had his moment in Week 1 but dropped it before recovering the best he could. Doubs showed a steady increase in promise and growth as an overall receiver while flashing an evolving ability to be a complete asset at the position.
Both of them can work downfield, Watson with his speed and Doubs with his route-running. They can have all the skill in the world, but unless they allow for Love to push the ball downfield it is useless. Last preseason and in the little game action he saw in the 2022 season, Love was never given a chance to create dynamic play options 15-plus yards downfield. More often than not Love was running plays designed to check down to his running backs or tight ends behind the first-down markers.
Aaron Rodgers made a career of being able to carve out big plays in the area of 15 to 25 yards. He had the arm strength and accuracy to make those throws. We haven’t seen that type of consistency from Love as of yet, but he hasn’t had the reps. This season is likely to be a year of growing pains, pushing the ball downfield even if it means extra turnovers — and that is okay.
Jordan Love Was Born To Run
This argument for Jordan Love to be used more dynamically as a runner doesn’t have any stats and PFF numbers to back it up from any level of football that he has played at. Rather, you can look at what the Packers allowed Aaron Rodgers to do with his creative freedom to create plays when his first reads weren’t open. He will never be Randall Cunningham or Lamar Jackson, but he could be a Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow type who is encouraged to make plays more often than not.
We talked above about allowing Love to take chances, and that should include as a runner. He has the frame to handle some contact — within reason, of course — and he should be allowed to make plays.
Having a quarterback who needs to have a spy on him takes one more defender away from providing full-blown pass protection. For this Packers offense in 2023, they will need all the help they can get. On paper, they should be fine at the very least but they also have tremendous potential to be more explosive.
Ultimately, using Jordan Love as a complete NFL quarterback shouldn’t be an idea that is scoffed at but rather embraced.
