Identifying the top storylines ahead of Packers training camp
With training camp only a week away, there is plenty of excitement and anxiety surrounding this Green Bay Packers team heading into a crucial part of their preparation for the 2023 NFL season.
The excitement stems from one of the youngest teams in recent memory embarking on a journey led by an unproven former first-round pick at quarterback. Simultaneously, the anxiety stems from how this team will navigate the unknown without the stability of a Hall-of-Fame signal caller and mostly the same defense that underperformed a season ago.
If nothing else, an eventful offseason has provided us with a ton of intriguing storylines to talk about. Soon, those storylines will start to unfold through training camp practices and the preseason.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the staff at Packers Wire has identified their top storyline heading into training camp.
When will Rashan Gary be ready?
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic recently wrote a great piece arguing that Gary might be the most important player on the Packers outside of Jordan Love. Obviously, good quarterback play will play a huge part in any success Green Bay has in 2023, but the defense will also need to perform at a high level, and that will be increasingly difficult the longer Gary is out. As the heart and soul of the Packers’ pass rush, Gary is still recovering from a torn ACL. The good news is he appears to be making good progress, though the timeline for his return is still unknown. More information should be uncovered in the coming weeks, but it’s important to remember everyone heals differently. Hopefully, Gary can follow a similar path to Elgton Jenkins, who tore his ACL in Week 11 (Gary’s was in Week 9) and returned for Green Bay’s Week 2 matchup the following year. The best-case scenario would be having Gary available for the season opener, but it might be more realistic for him to start the year on the PUP list and sit out the first four games. However, if Gary is out longer than expected — let’s say a majority of the regular season — that would put tremendous strain on a defense operating without one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. — Brandon Carwile
Is Jordan Love any good?
This question won’t be answered during training camp, but it’s far and away the most important question needing to be answered in Green Bay during the 2023 season. At the very least, training camp will begin the process of revealing what kind of quarterback Love is entering Year 4 in the NFL and Year 1 as the starter. He’s going to take all the first-team snaps, and he should get action during the Packers’ three preseason games. The book won’t be written on Love this summer, but training camp will set the foundation for a hugely important 2023 season. Is Love the long-term answer at quarterback, or will the Packers be shopping at the position high in the 2024 draft? Let the long-awaited evaluation process begin. — Zach Kruse
How will the passing game progress?
Remember last training camp when Aaron Rodgers was praising how great the defense looked? It was a sign that maybe the defense was starting to turn into a dominant force. Well, maybe they looked so great because Rodgers played as well as he did during his last season in Green Bay. Woof. Fast forward a year and the big question mark for me is how will the aerial attack look without Rodgers under center? How will they progress against Joe Barry’s unit throughout training camp?
Jordan Love takes over with a bevy of athletic pass catchers at his disposal. With all the speed and athleticism the Packers have at wide receiver and tight end, Ray Nitschke Field may look more like a track and field practice. How quickly will this young core mesh? Going up against Jaire Alexander each and every day will be great for the growth of the young wide receivers. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure are the “old guards” and have combined for 88 receptions, 1,118 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Watson and Doubs figure to be the top two targets for Love, with Jayden Reed and Toure likely battling for targets behind them.
Rookie tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft figure to get the lion’s share of snaps. Will they be up for the challenge? It’s all about stacking success and getting better each day.
The Packers may not have a veteran pass catcher on the roster and that’s okay. The youth movement is on at 1265 Lombardi Avenue and with all that athleticism and upside on the roster this group will be fun to watch grow together this summer. — Brennen Rupp
Who plays right tackle, and how does the safety position end up?
The top positional battle is probably at right tackle, where the Packers will go into training camp attempting to pick between Yosh Nijman and Zach Tom at the tackle position opposite David Bakhtiari. Both players have starting experience, and both are better as pass-blockers. The Packers need to see developmental steps from each candidate. If Nijman is the winner, does Tom become the five-position super sub? If Tom is the pick, Nijman could be a valuable backup swing tackle. The play of the starter at right tackle could determine if the Packers have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines in 2023.
The safety position is a mess entering training camp. Darnell Savage was benched last season, and no other player on the safety depth chart has been a preferred starter entering a season. Can Rudy Ford build on his late surge in 2022? Will Tarvarius Moore or Jonathan Owens emerge as a legitimate starter? Might rookie Anthony Johnson Jr. surprise? Savage must show signs of a rebound and at least one other player needs to step up as a starting-quality option during training camp. The Packers are too good at cornerback and edge rusher for the safety position to ruin the pass defense in 2023. — Zach Kruse
Can the Packers stop the run?
All eyes should be on how the Packers look against the run. If the defense is going to find success in 2023, this is where it starts. Last season, the Packers ranked 28th in yards per rush allowed and 31st by DVOA. When an opponent is able to move the ball on early downs it puts the defense on its heels. The entire playbook is now open for the offense when in short down and distance situations. On the flip side, keeping the offense behind the sticks puts them in obvious passing situations, allowing the defensive front to get after the quarterback and the secondary to play more aggressively. Every player on that side of the ball benefits when stopping the run, which is why it’s not a coincidence that when the Green Bay defense was playing its best at the end of 2022, they were also much better verse the run. The Packers have plenty of pass rush options but how they will hold up against the run is an unknown, along with what those early down rotations will even look like is probably still a work in progress, to some degree. There is a lot of inexperience at the interior defensive line position, but the Packers will have to “weather the storm,” as Jerry Montgomery said. For young players, they are often able to make a greater impact more quickly by rushing the quarterback than being a consistent run defender. Although success in slowing the run begins along the defensive front, Montgomery added during OTAs that it’s going to take all 11 defenders to see improvement in this area. — Paul Bretl
Where do the rookies fit in?
Now moreso than most years, the Packers’ rookie class has an opportunity to play a major factor in the fortunes of the 2023 team. This is a team in transition, especially on offense, and many of the 13 draft picks are in a position to win roles or contribute in some way almost immediately. Can Lukas Van Ness emerge as a legitimate impact player in Year 1? Will Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed be rookie starters in the passing game? Are there snaps available for Tucker Kraft, Dontayvion Wicks and Grant DuBose in the passing game? Will Anders Carlson be the Week 1 kicker? Will Sean Clifford be the Week 1 backup? Can Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks prove capable of playing rotational snaps along the defensive line? Is Anthony Johnson a contender for snaps at safety, a weak position group? We’ll get all these answers during camp. No team wants to depend too heavily on rookies, who are historically unpredictable and often inconsistent performers as first-year players, but the Packers have roles to be won across the depth chart and plenty of rookies vying for the open jobs. — Zach Kruse
