The Green Bay Packers are one of the biggest unknowns heading into the 2023 season. They have made some major changes to their roster, saying goodbye to long-time veterans such as quarterback Aaron Rodgers and kicker Mason Crosby.
Those are two players that experienced a lot of winning in Green Bay and know what it takes in the unique conditions Lambeau Field presents. Replacing those two will not be easy, but they are far from the only positions that will have inexperienced players taking over.
The entire pass-catching offense, outside of running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, makes Jordan Love, the owner of 83 regular season passes, look like a seasoned veteran. That inexperience surrounding him is what makes it so difficult to predict how well the team will perform in 2023.
In fact, it makes even long-term projections difficult. While the Packers are expected to rise in the NFL future power rankings, there are some concerns. As Louis Riddick of ESPN pointed out, the same thing they are concerned about in the present with the inexperienced could trip them up in the coming seasons.
“Green Bay has pushed the reset button offensively, which could be great or could cause a lot of pain in the short term. The Packers’ top five wide receivers will be first- or second-year players, their top two tight ends are rookies and quarterback Jordan Love will be making just his second career start (83 career passes). I really like the talent that the front office has assembled, but there is no shortage of questions about how those players will execute when it counts.”
Wide receivers Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samorie Toure all were drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft and represent the most experienced players at the position. Rookie Jayden Reed is projected to have a major role in the passing game as well.
At the tight end spot, second and third-round picks were used on Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Both bring intriguing pass-catching skill sets but will need to prove that they can block at this level as it is required in the scheme that Matt LaFleur wants to run.
As Riddick shared, talent certainly isn’t lacking for these units. The players have immense upside, it is just a matter of whether they can put it all together or not. Love is key to that. If he finds his stride, this offense is going to surprise a lot of people in the coming years.