The Green Bay Packers are a team with a lot of intrigue heading into training camp this year. They are shrouded in mystery given how little experience that some of their key players have under their belts.
Easily the biggest of the storylines that Kevin Patra of NFL.com will be following is how one of those inexperienced players, Jordan Love, handles things. Love is stepping into the starting lineup in place of the legendary Aaron Rodgers, who was traded to the New York Jets.
Love has massive shoes to fill and to this point, it is anyone’s guess how well he will perform. He has made only 10 appearances, one start, in his first three seasons in the NFL and has attempted only 83 career passes.
Normally, to make such a transition a little easier, the team will load up on veteran players to help someone in Love’s position adjust. The Packers are going in the opposite direction, as the skill position players around him are just as inexperienced as he is.
There isn’t a single player on the wide receiver depth chart with more than one season of NFL experience. 2022 second-round pick Christian Watson and fifth-round Romeo Doubs will likely lead the way, followed by seventh-round pick last year Samori Toure and rookie third-rounder, Jayden Reed.
At tight end, rookie second-rounder Luke Musgrave and third-rounder Tucker Kraft will be battling it out for playing time. Josiah Deguara is the elder statesman entering Year 4.
Defensively, the Packers are going to be relying on second-year jumps from defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and linebacker Quay Walker. Green Bay struggled mightily against the run last season and an improvement in that area could be spearheaded by this Georgia duo.
A lot of eyes will be on 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness as well. People always watch such high draft picks intently, but Van Ness could be taking over a large role depending on the health of Rashan Gary, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 9 last season. Van Ness didn’t start a single game at Iowa but could be in the starting lineup in Week 1 if Gary isn’t ready.
Last but not least from Patra is, are the Packers being overlooked heading into the season. The lack of experience is a big deal, but this is a roster with some very talented young players that could surprise a lot of people.
Teams who have a chip on their shoulder with nothing to lose are usually the most dangerous ones. The Packers could certainly fall into that category as a strong running game and potentially excellent defense could be enough to carry them until Love gets comfortable.