When taking a look at the Green Bay Packers roster, there are a lot of names that the casual football fan wouldn’t recognize. There are a lot of inexperienced, young players that will be stepping into bigger roles this upcoming season looking to make a name for themselves.
One of the players who will be attempting to do that is quarterback Jordan Love. He has the tall task of replacing Aaron Rodgers under center in Green Bay, as the future Hall of Famer was traded to the New York Jets this offseason.
Love, a 2020 first-round pick out of Utah State, has bided his time, similarly to what Rodgers did with Brett Favre after he was drafted in 2005. Now, after three years of waiting, it is his time to shine with the Packers.
All eyes will be on him as people will want to see how he responds to becoming a starter for the first time as a professional. Will he rise to the occasion, getting the Packers back on track instantly? Or will he falter, sending the franchise looking for a new starting quarterback in the near future?
One person who believes it will be the former is Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. Knox recently put a piece together selecting a breakout star for each team in the NFL for the 2023 season. His predicted breakout for the Packers is none other than Love.
“Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love essentially has to be a breakout player in 2023 or else he’ll be considered a bust. That’s the expectations for the third-year signal-caller after Green Bay drafted him in the first round and moved on from future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
Love can become a rising star this year. Green Bay worked to surround him with a strong supporting cast in the offseason, drafting tight end Luke Musgrave, tight end Tucker Kraft and wideout Jayden Reed. They’ll join 2022 draft picks Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, plus veteran running backs AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones.”
Projecting how Love will perform this season is virtually impossible given the small sample size there is to work with. He has appeared in only 10 games, making one start, in his first three seasons as a professional.
How he will handle this transition is anyone’s guess. However, it is something that he is certainly prepared for. He has sat behind and learned from Rodgers for three seasons and head coach Matt LaFleur is a respected offensive mind. If the young players surrounding him find their stride early on, this is an offense that will surprise some people in 2023.