The Green Bay Packers are a team that everyone is having difficulties projecting ahead of the 2023 season. They have made some major changes to their lineup, moving on from Aaron Rodgers and embarking on the Jordan Love era as their starting quarterback.
That move will have a major impact on the franchise. With Rodgers, Green Bay was always considered a dangerous team. With Love under center, that respect from opponents will have to be regained.
There have been some highlights for the Packers this offseason, such as the haul they received from the New York Jets in exchange for Rodgers. That was a move that Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report lauded, but overall, he wasn’t a big fan of the entire offseason for Green Bay.
A big knock against the Packers’ plan this offseason was not finding more experienced options to put around Love on offense. Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb departed this offseason, following in the footsteps of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling the offseason before.
That leaves the Packers with very inexperienced players leading the offensive skill positions. Josiah Deguara is the only wide receiver or tight end that could find his way into the lineup that has more than one season of NFL experience under his belt. There is a chance that Love’s top three wide receivers and top two tight ends include three rookies.
Truly evaluating Love in 2023 will be difficult with those circumstances. With only two seasons before he is due a new contract as a free agent, the Packers didn’t leave themselves much time to see what Love is really made of.
While early returns on Love are positive, getting the job done in practice without pads is totally different from competing in regular season games. His experience is limited in those contests, as he has thrown 83 passes in three seasons.
As things currently sit, the Packers are too good to land a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft should Love falter. But, they aren’t good enough to be considered serious contenders. If things break their way they could sneak into the Wild Card mix in the NFC, but this is a rebuild that doesn’t have a precise direction the team wants to go in.