5 Biggest Takeaways From Packers Training Camp
Jordan Love's Progress, Anders Carlson's struggles
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1. Thanks Goodness Brian Gutekunst Drafted Jordan Love
The decision in 2020 to draft Jordan Love in the first round was met with confusion and outrage. Many were upset that the Packers were preparing for a future without Rodgers when Rodgers was still on the roster.
Today many still make the claim that if the Packers would have drafted *insert player here* instead of Jordan Love, the Packers could have made it to a super bowl in 2021 or 2022. I don’t think it’s that simple.
Luckily the Packers front office wasn’t afraid to face the heat that came from drafting Rodgers replacement because now they have someone to take the reins. If the Packers would have done what most fans wanted, the Packers would currently be in QB no man's land with a bleak future ahead.
Instead Green Bay has a talented QB in Jordan Love who has developed behind the scenes for 3 years and now has an opportunity to prove to the world that the Packers made the right decision.
Imagine if the Packers didn’t draft Aaron Rodgers because Brett Favre was still on the roster. It’s never a bad idea to plan for the future even if it isn’t popular. Hitting on QB is a must if you want to compete. Good luck getting by in the league if you don’t prioritize the signal caller leading your team.
Jordan Love has proved to me this pre-season that he has the ability to be a top tier QB in the league. He’s knows Matt LaFleur’s offense like the back of his hand. He’s poised and comfortable in the pocket. He can push the ball down the field and fit the ball through tight windows. Now the question is can he do it consistently.
2. The Packers WR room may lack veterans, but they don’t lack talent
I read different articles this off-season that ranked the Packers as one of the worst receiver rooms in the NFL. For some reason people just assume that a roster made up of young talent means they will produce sub par results. My assessment on that assessment = wrong.
Sure the Packers have one of the youngest WR rooms in the league, but they are loaded with talent. The Packers have hit the jackpot over the years in wide receivers drafted in round 2: Davante Adams, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb to name a few.
And now they have a 2022 2nd rounder in Christian Watson and a 2023 2nd rounder in Jayden Reed. Watson is going to be an even bigger problem entering his 2nd year, and Jayden Reed is going to give the Packers a speedy weapon in the slot they haven’t had since Randall Cobb excelled early in his career.
Then you throw in an elite route runner in Romeo Doubs that Matt LaFleur stated reminds him of Davante Adams and you have a core of receivers that is going to shock lots of people. This receiver room is better than last year.
3. Packers 2nd Year Defensive Players Are Developing Nicely
Last year I thought this Packers defense had a chance to be one of the best in the league. Boy oh boy was I wrong. They struggled to find consistency and finished as the 17th ranked scoring defense in the NFL. Because of their failure to live up to the standards many of us set for them last year, most aren’t carrying the same expectations entering this year, and rightly so.
It’s like the old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” I’d say many are cautious to believe in this Joe Barry led defense.
There are three 2nd year defensive players that will be crucial in the Packers finding success this season. Devonte Wyatt, Quay Walker, and Kingsley (JJ) Enagbare.
Devonte Wyatt started to get more snaps later in the season and had a number of impact plays. This training camp there has been lots of buzz coming out from reporters that he is looking much better than last season. The Packers sent DL Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed packing this off-season with the plan to make Devonte Wyatt a starter on the defensive line.
Wyatt has a chance to be a difference maker. Lowry and Reed were stable veterans, but they did not have the natural talent and ability of Wyatt, which is why he went in the first round and they did not. If Wyatt plays like a first round pick this year, the Packers defensive line will be head and shoulders better than last season.
Quay Walker got to start alongside De’vondre Campbell from the start in his rookie season. He had his ups and down. He finished with 75 solo tackles which led the Packers defense, but he had a terrible run grade per PFF of 35.1 which ranked 87th in the league. Yikes. Let’s hope he takes a year 2 jump just like his Georgia buddy Devonte Wyatt.
To end this section off we have to talk about JJ Enagbare, the Packers 2022 5th round pick. He’s come out this August swinging. Last preseason game vs the Patriots he let everyone know that he’s coming to do damage this season. 2 sacks and a forced fumble.
The Packers gave him plenty of snaps his rookie year. 465 to be exact. He finished with 25 pressures and 3 sacks. Now entering his second season he has the chance to take his game to the next level. Considering Rashan Gary has been back at practice this week taking team reps the Packers look to have great depth at edge rusher and Enagbare’s role will be pivotal.
4. The Packers Offensive Line Isn’t Playing Any Games
The greatest asset any team can have, especially for a young inexperienced quarterback, is a strong offensive line. That’s exactly what the Packers have. Last year the Packers had the 3rd best pass blocking grade per PFF, and it looks like that will continue in 2023.
To start last season the Packers line was consistently fluctuating as David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins worked their way back from ACL tears. It wasn’t till later last season that the best 5 were consistently healthy and playing at the top of their game.
The Packers are much more stable entering 2023. Bakhtiari, while sitting out many practices seems healthy, and Elgton Jenkins isn’t starting the year knocking the rust off like he was last year. Zach Tom has played well enough to solidify himself as the right tackle over Yosh Nijman and Josh Myers and Jon Runyan Jr. have done enough to keep the line in tact.
The Packers have solid depth with 2022 7th rounder Rasheed Walker seemingly coming into his own in his second season as he’s started taking snaps at LT behind David Bakhtiari. While Yosh Nijman has taken a back seat to Tom and Walker for the time being, he is still a solid backup tackle. The Packers have plenty of depth to withstand injuries if they should come this season. Jordan Love has to be pleased.
5. Anders Carlson Has Yet To Find Consistency
This off-season we witnessed the changing of the guard in Green Bay. With Rodgers out the door the front office decided to move on from veterans that no longer fit into the Packers plans for the future. One of those guys was Mason Crosby.
The Packers used a 6th round pick to draft Anders Carlson. There were many questions regarding Carlson’s accuracy issues in college where he only made 71.8% of kicks. Brian Gutekunst made it clear that they believed it was largely a by-product of injuries Anders had to deal with in college. The Packers believed they could fix him.
So far we have seen none of that. Carlson continues to consistently miss kicks. The Packers sound adamant about letting him work through these issues. They believe that it will all get worked out. I hope they are right. If things don’t come together drafting Carlson would be a huge wiff. There’s no doubt Carlson has no issue with power. He can boot it. But if you can’t be accurate it’s going to be hard to stick around.
I am curious how long the Packers will let this go if it continues once the season starts. If they are competitive a month or so into the season and Anders is still struggling I wouldn’t be surprised if they brought someone else in. Mason Crosby is still out there. The Packers have to hope Carlson figures it out because if he can the Packers will be set at kicker for a long long time.