Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander's viral quote of the "Pack is back" in early January -- when he interrupted a live news report prior to the team's NFC wild-card round game at the Dallas Cowboys -- was him simply stating the Packers were back in the postseason after falling a game short in 2022.
However, Alexander's quote can also be used as a microcosm for the Packers' future going forward thanks to ascending quarterback Jordan Love and his playmakers, who set NFL single-season records for the most catches (302), receiving yards (3,642) and receiving touchdowns (31) by first- or second-year players in 2023.
Last season's Packers are the youngest team (average age of 25 years and 214 days) to win a postseason game since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger following their 48-32 demolition of the Cowboys, and Love produced a nearly flawless performance that night. He compiled 272 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 16 of his 21 passes, good for a Packers single-game postseason record 157.2 passer rating -- 1.1 points away from literal perfection -- as well as a single-game playoff record 13 yards per pass attempt in his playoff debut.
While Green Bay has historically struggled with the San Francisco 49ers in the postseason, Love's Packers came as close as any Aaron Rodgers-led effort to topple the 49ers in the divisional round in a 24-21 loss. The seventh-seeded visitors possessed the lead for most of the night, and if not for a dropped pick-six by safety Darnell Savage and a late missed field goal by rookie kicker Anders Carlson, the Packers may have emerged victorious that night in the Bay Area.
General manager Brian Gutekunst wasn't resting on his laurels this offseason, as he signed two-time Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs (four years, $48 million) and safety Xavier McKinney (four years, $67 million) -- the latter of whom was Pro Football Focus' best cover safety last season with a 91.2 coverage grade -- in free agency. Head coach Matt LaFleur made the long overdue move to fire defensive coordinator Joe Berry, ditching his zone coverage-based scheme for former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley's aggressive, press man coverage defense. Hafley joins LaFleur's staff with seven years of NFL coaching experiences from stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (secondary/safeties coach from 2012-2013), Cleveland Browns (2014-2015) and San Francisco 49ers (defensive backs coach from 2016-2018).
Gutekunst also buttressed Love's offensive front with the first-round selection of Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan (25th overall), the fifth-round draft choice of Duke interior offensive lineman Jacob Monk (163rd overall) and the sixth-round pick of Georgia State offensive tackle Travis Glover (202nd overall). Linebacker became a spot of need after the decline and departure of former All-Pro De'Vondre Campbell, and Gutekunst filled the void with the draft's top inside linebacker prospect in Texas A&M All-American Edgerrin Cooper (45th overall, second round). Gutekunst then drafted more depth at that spot with Missouri linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper in the third round (91st overall).
The safety room was completely overhauled this offseason with the addition of McKinney and the departures of Darnell Savage Jr., Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens. Green Bay drafted Georgia's Javon Bullard in Round 2 (58th overall), Oregon's Evan Williams in Round 4 (111th overall) and Oregon State's Kitan Oladapo in Round 5 (169th overall).
Swapping in USC running back Marshawn Lloyd (88th overall pick, third round), a prospect some thought was the best at the position in the 2024 NFL Draft, to replace some of the speed lost by Pro Bowler Aaron Jones' departure to Minnesota Vikings after refusing to take a pay cut in consecutive offseasons was a shrewd move as well.
Up next, the Packers will look to mix all these new components into their established offensive ecosystem centered around Love as well as maximize a defense with brimming with talent -- seven first-round picks -- in a new, more aggressive scheme in training camp. Here is a breakdown of what lies ahead in Green Bay as the squad files in to report for camp.
Key dates/information
- Wednesday, July 17: Quarterbacks, injured players and rookies report
- Sunday, July 21: Veterans report to training camp
- Monday, July 22: First practice
- Saturday, Aug. 3: Packers Family Night
- Saturday, Aug 10: Preseason Week 1 at Cleveland Browns
- Sunday, Aug. 18: Preseason Week 2 at Denver Broncos
- Thursday, Aug. 22: Joint practice with Baltimore Ravens in Green Bay, last practice open to public
- Saturday, Aug. 24: Preseason Week 3 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Roster changes
| KEY ADDITIONS | POSITION | KEY DEPARTURES | POSITION |
|---|---|---|---|
Josh Jacobs | RB | Aaron Jones | RB |
Xavier McKinney | S | OT | |
T | Darnell Savage | S | |
K | De'Vondre Campbell | LB | |
Jordan Morgan* | OL | OT | |
Edgerrin Cooper* | LB | Jon Runyan Jr. | G |
Javon Bullard* | S | Rudy Ford | S |
MarShawn Lloyd* | RB | Jonathan Owens | S |
Ty'ron Hooper* | LB | TE | |
Jacob Monk* | OL | ||
Kitan Oladapo* | S | ||
| Travis Glover* | OL | ||
| Michael Pratt* | QB | ||
| Kalen King* | CB |
* Via NFL Draft
Top storylines
How much better will Jordan Love and the pass-catchers look in Year 2 together?
The tone surrounding Jordan Love's likely contract extension is one of optimism, with Gutekunst saying there is "a desire on both sides to get something done" and that he would "love to have it done before training camp." With those comments in mind, the storyline on offense is what happens on the field.
Now that Love has a full year as an NFL starter and two playoff games played under his belt, can he maintain the level he hit and sustained in the second half of 2023? To conclude the regular season from Weeks 11-18, Love led the NFL in touchdown to interception ratio with 18 touchdowns and only one interception. That's pretty Rodgers-esque.
Jordan Love 2023 season (including playoffs)
| First 9 games | Last 10 games | |
|---|---|---|
W-L | 3-6 | 7-3 |
Comp pct | 58.7% | 69.8% |
Pass YPG | 223.2 | 261.6 |
TD-INT | 14-10 | 23-3 |
Passer rating | 80.5 | 112.1 |
Also, will any of the Packers receiver break out to where they shine above the rest? Christian Watson, a 2022 second-round pick, has shown he is capable of doing so with his deep-ball and red zone playmaking -- games from last season that come to mind include victories over the Super Bowl champion Chiefs on "Sunday Night Football" and at the Detroit Lions. The problem for him his been his health, particularly with his hamstrings. He went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison earlier in the offseason to figure out what the issue was, and it was discovered he has a muscle imbalance between his two legs.
If he can remain healthy, the Packers wide receiver core could reach new heights of production. Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks could be even better entering their second seasons, and Romeo Doubs remains one of Love's most trusted downfield targets. The addition of Jacobs to be the team's new starting running back also came about because of Jones' injury issues at the position. Getting a 26-year-old former rushing champion into their offense should also yield positive results. How much he is incorporated into the passing game will be something to watch as well since Jones was most definitely a threat out of the backfield in that department.
What will the defensive backfield and the defense a whole look like under new DC Jeff Hafley?
Upgrading to Xavier McKinney should yield tremendous dividends for a Green Bay defense that looked overwhelmed and full of miscommunications in coverage at times last season. His 41.4 passer rating as the primary defender in coverage was the seventh best in the entire league, regardless of position, among the 146 players with at least 50 passes thrown their way in 2023.
The Packers forced a tight-window throw on only 12.4% of their opponents pass attempts last season, the third-worst rate in the NFL, according to the league's Next Gen Stats. McKinney led all players who lined up at safety and had at least 20 passes thrown at them in forcing tight window throws with an NFL-best 30.8% tight-window-throw percentage. Outside of his addition, the acquisitions of Cooper and Bullard in the draft should also shore up tackling in the middle and second levels of the defense.
How Hafley plans to align the talented unit in front of him will undoubtedly be a storyline to monitor.
Will the Packers find reliability at the kicker position?
Green Bay was driving with a lead of 21-17 when it had first-and-10 at the 49ers' 24-yard line with 7:51 left in the game. The drive stalled out there, and so the Packers brought on rookie Anders Carlson, who was 2-for-2 on the night with his longest make coming from 29 yards out. Green Bay had his 41-yard kick lined up right in the middle of the field, but he yanked the attempt wide left, a kick that would have put the visiting Packers up seven with 6:18 left to play.
San Francisco took advantage of starting at its own 31, and it marched down the field for its only touchdown of the fourth quarter on the ensuing drive. Packers season over. Carlson, a sixth-round rookie out of Auburn in 2023, was 27-for-33 on his field goals in the regular season. He was perfect from 20-29 yards (6-for-6) and 30-39 yards (14-for-14), but once the distance jumped into the 40s, problems ensued.
He went 4-for-8 on field goals of 40-49 yards and 3-for-5 on field goals of 50 yards or longer. That's why Green Bay brought five-year NFL veteran Greg Joseph, the Vikings kicker in each of the past three seasons, in to push Carlson in camp. The hope is certainly for the Packers to get better deep-kicking accuracy from Carlson, but this battle could go a number of different directions.
Players to watch
Watson is the most physically gifted receiver on the Packers, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 208 pounds while also running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. His health, as mentioned above with the hamstrings, is paramount to the Packers offense reaching its full potential. How he looks after an offseason reshaping his lower body will be something to keep an eye on.
Eric Stokes was the Packers' 2021 first-round pick, selected 29th overall out of Georgia, and he looked like an impact starter as a rookie. However, like Watson, he too has dealt with hamstring issues following a foot injury that required surgery in November 2022, only playing 12 games since his rookie year. His health will factor into how the team's cornerback rotation opposite Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander shakes out.
Jordan Morgan was an All-Pac-12 offensive tackle in 2022 and 2023, only surrendering three sacks and 24 pressures across the past two seasons. A collegiate left tackle, Morgan will battle Rasheed Walker, a 2022 seventh-round pick, for a starting spot at left tackle. He could also factor in at right guard following Jon Runyan Jr.'s departure to the New York Giants. How LaFleur deploys his first-round pick will have a ripple effect on the rest of the line.
Key position battles
Starting CB2: The Packers may have found a diamond in the rough in 2023 seventh-round pick cornerback Carrington Valentine. As a rookie, Valentine played in all 17 games (starting 12) and played like a top-20 defensive back across the entire NFL. Valentine ranked 14th in the league in completion percentage allowed (53%), 22nd in passer rating allowed as the primary defender in coverage (63.8) and 19th in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.4) among 79 defensive backs with 60 or more passes thrown their direction. That's pretty good for a seventh-round rookie. Valentine will square off against the aforementioned Stokes, the 2021 first-round pick fighting to regain his job after battling through injuries. It will be a battle of pedigree versus recent production here.
RB2: Jacobs, the 2022 NFL rushing yards champion, is obviously entrenched as the team's top running back. After that it's a battle between third-round rookie Marshawn Lloyd out of USC, whose 7.1 yards per carry ranked as tied for the fifth-most in college football in 2023, and fifth-year running back AJ Dillon, aka Quadzilla. Dillon totaled career-lows in yards per carry (3.4) and rushing touchdowns (two) in 2023, which is why he is playing on a one-year, $2.7 million deal in 2024. Lloyd, more of a speedy, elusive runner, and Dillon, a physical bruiser, are opposites stylistically, which makes this an intriguing race. Both will have a role in the Packers offense in 2024, but it would be reasonable for Green Bay to give Lloyd a chance to show what he can do since the team has a pretty good idea what it has in Dillon.
Starting OL positioning: Morgan is the team's first round pick, but Walker played at a decent level in place of former All-Pro David Bakhtiari in 2023. He surrendered just 30 quarterback pressures and six quarterback sacks in the regular season. Walker played one of his best games of the season in the playoff loss at the 49ers, a mere three quarterback pressures and zero sacks against 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and San Francisco's stout defensive line. Should Morgan lose this battle, there's a chance he could slot in at right guard this season in place of the departed John Runyan Jr. If Walker loses this battle, he could fill the void at swing tackle left by Yosh Nijman's departure.
Kicker: Carlson was shaky beyond 40 yards as a rookie, and that issue was highlighted at the worst possible time in the divisional round loss at San Francisco. Getting an established vet in the building in Joseph could help Carlson learn a thing or too, and potentially raise his level in camp. There's also a chance Joseph could upset the incumbent here. Head coach Matt LaFleur seems to understand he has a legit shot at Super Bowl contention, and he is willing to part with weak links. He replaced both his defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning staff this offseason.
QB2: Sean Clifford, a 26-year-old quarterback out of Penn State who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, held down the backup spot behind Jordan Love last season. He'll have some competition this season in 2024 seventh-round pick quarterback Michael Pratt out of Tulane. Pratt was the 2023 American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and he is Tulane's all-time leader in passing yards (9,602) and passing touchdowns (90) -- records he set in four seasons of work. Pratt even outdueled Chicago Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2024 NFL Draft's first-overall pick, in the 2022 Cotton Bowl as the Green Wave upset the Trojans, 46-45. He completed 8 of his 17 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, including an 87-yard scoring strike, in the marquee win for Tulane. Pratt's collegiate resume is stellar, and he will provide a real test to Clifford in camp.
