The Green Bay Packers were able to address many of their biggest needs through free agency and the draft this year, but as is the case with pretty much every team every year, they were unable to plug all of their roster holes in a single offseason.
While they didn’t upgrade every weak spot, it appears that they were at least able to transform a few positions of weakness into positions of strength. A few positions, like quarterback and wide receiver, are essentially the same as they were in 2018, so the Packers will undoubtedly be banking on some internal improvement to get back into playoff contention this year. Even though some roster holes were not addressed with draft picks or veteran free agents, it still seems like the Packers improved a lot more than they regressed this offseason, especially defensively.
Here are my rankings of the Packers position groups as they currently stand ahead of training camp:
11. Inside Linebackers
Blake Martinez returns as a solid, established starter, but there’s very little certainty behind him at inside linebacker entering the season. Oren Burks will probably factor in as a dime linebacker, and he’ll likely start alongside Martinez in nickel and base formations, but it’s hard to know how good he’ll be because he barely played on defense as a rookie last season.
Seventh-round rookie Ty Summers seemingly has a chance to earn meaningful playing time this season if Burks struggles or if one of the two presumed starters is sidelined by injury at any point. James Crawford was a special teams standout last season, but like Burks, he didn’t factor much into the team’s defensive plans in 2018 so he’s still a pretty big unknown, too. After those four, it’s a bunch of undrafted rookie free agents.
10. Specialists
Mason Crosby has had back-to-back down seasons statistically speaking, but I don’t think his numbers are as bad as they seem when you consider the context of how they were arrived at. In 2017, he converted 15 out of a career-low 19 field goal attempts (78.9 percent), and in 2018, he was an average 30-for-37 (81.1). In 2017, he had a little bit of a down year but it was also an uncharacteristically small sample size (his previous career-low for field goal attempts in a season was 28). Aside from a disastrous Week 5 game against Detroit last year where he missed four field goal attempts and an extra point, Crosby was same the reliable kicker he has pretty much always been.
J.K. Scott was up-and-down as a rookie punter last year. He’d have some punts with great hang time and good distance, but there were a number of poor punts where the ball would travel 30-some yards from the Packers’ own side of the field. While his 44.7 yards-per-punt average looks respectable, his net average of 38.8 ranked 27th in the NFL a season ago, and his nine touchbacks last year were the highest among NFL punters in 2018.
9. Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham looks like an average starter at this point in his career, but it’s entirely possible for him to have a resurgent year in Matt LaFleur’s tight-end friendly offense. I think Jace Sternberger can emerge as a pretty good starter down the road, but expectations should be tempered for his rookie year because of his current spot on the depth chart and the steep learning curve college tight ends typically face upon entering the NFL. Marcedes Lewis is a good in-line blocker and a solid red zone target. Robert Tonyan, the presumed third- or fourth-string tight end, is an impressive athlete with good receiving potential, but he barely saw the field last year and still has a lot to prove.
8. Cornerbacks
Cornerback is the position group that’s most likely to catapult up these rankings by season’s end. Jaire Alexander looks to be an above average cornerback at the very least, and I’m expecting him to take a big developmental step in his second season, but as of right now, there’s no real proven players behind him. Kevin King and Josh Jackson both have the physical talent of quality starters, but neither has shown much consistency to this point. As a rookie with minimal experience at cornerback, Jackson seems likely to improve, although I still have reservations about his scheme fit in Green Bay.
King, on the other hand, has struggled to stay healthy and show consistency on the field through the first two years of his NFL career. The potential exists for him to be a star, but he needs to stay healthy and put it all together before Green Bay decides to move on from him. Ka’Dar Hollman should only be expected to contribute significantly on special teams this year as a rookie sixth-round pick, but he’ll have a chance to earn significant playing time if injuries continue to plague Packers cornerbacks like they have in the past, or if King and Jackson don’t step up their games.
Tramon Williams provides depth, leadership and versatility, but I don’t think he’s an ideal starter at this point in his career. Tony Brown is still a young player that could develop, but as a former undrafted free agent, he shouldn’t be expected to start.
7. Running Backs
Aaron Jones looks like a top-10 NFL running back when he’s healthy and given a sizable workload, but neither of those things has happened consistently in his first two NFL seasons. This year, he should have a great opportunity to break out with (hopefully) a more consistent workload, an offensive scheme that’s perfectly suited to his skill set and an upgraded offensive line. Jamaal Williams is a decent backup running back and power complement to Jones’s slashing running style. Sixth-round rookie Dexter Williams is still an unknown, but I think he’ll prove to be a solid addition, and I personally see him supplanting Jamaal Williams as the No. 2 running back this season.
6. Wide Receivers
Davante Adams is a proven top-10 NFL receiver, but the Packers lack established No. 2 and No. 3 receiver options at the moment. My guess is that Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantling will fill those roles to start the season, but both of those players still have a lot to prove. Equanimeous St. Brown could also emerge as a top-3 receiver, as could J’Mon Moore, even though he didn’t show much as a rookie. Jake Kumerow should provide quality depth as a fourth- or fifth-string as well, while Trevor Davis and Jawill Davis both have valuable special teams experience. Allen Lazard and Teo Redding are wildcards.
5. Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but the depth behind him is – and has been – sorely lacking for a few years now. Tim Boyle and DeShone Kizer are both holdovers from last year, but neither has done much to inspire confidence as fill-in starters. Kizer saw some meaningful playing time in Week 1 of the regular season last year when Rodgers injured his knee in the infamous Chicago game, but he was completely overwhelmed by the situation and nearly cost Green Bay the game before Rodgers returned to orchestrate one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history on one leg. In Week 17, Kizer completed only 16 of 35 passes over the final 3.5 quarters as the Packers were shutout by the Lions.
4. Offensive Linemen
The Packers have been consistently strong at left tackle, right tackle and center over the years when all of their starters are healthy, but the starting guard positions have been much less consistent since studs like T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton left the team. Overall depth has been a persistent issue for the green and gold as well. This year, however, it appears the offensive line might finally have some depth.
With the offseason additions of Billy Turner and Elgton Jenkins, plus the return of 2018 fifth-round pick Cole Madison, who is basically a rookie after sitting out the entirety of last season, the Packers bolstered their offensive line unit without losing any key starters. If Lane Taylor is beat out by Turner and Jenkins for the starting guard spots, he should prove to be a quality backup at the least. Madison is still an unknown, but he has guard/tackle versatility. If Bryan Bulaga or David Bakhtiari miss time and Jason Spriggs isn’t up to the task, Billy Turner could potentially kick outside to tackle while Taylor, or whomever the top backup guard ends up being, replaces him at guard. For the first time in a few years, the Packers appear to have decent injury replacement options on the offensive line.
3. Safeties
Depth at safety is still a little bit of a question mark, but the starting tandem of Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos looks like it could be one of the biggest strengths of this Packers team moving forward. Amos is a good, proven commodity and Savage’s traits look like they’ll translate well to the next level. I think Josh Jones and Raven Greene are decent backups, but they seem to be best suited for a hybrid safety/dime linebacker role. If Amos or Savage were to get injured, it’s unclear if the Packers have a solid deep safety replacement option. Cornerback Natrell Jamerson took snaps at safety during the offseason workout program, and Tramon Williams can play the position in a pinch.
2. Outside Linebackers
The Packers appear to be at least three deep at outside linebacker after the offseason additions of Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary. The Smiths are known commodities with a little untapped potential, while Gary is more of an enigma with enormous upside. Kyler Fackrell, last year’s sack leader with 10.5, should provide quality depth as the No. 4 outside linebacker. Reggie Gilbert has experience and will compete for a roster spot. Same goes for the ultra-athletic Kendall Donnerson.
1. Defensive Linemen
Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark will continue to anchor the middle of the Packers’ defensive line as Pro Bowl-caliber players for at least one more season together, and Dean Lowry returns as a solid starter at defensive end. Montravius Adams has reportedly had a great offseason, and he showed some flashes as a situational pass rusher last year. Keke Kingsley could compete with Adams to be the top rotational interior pass rusher off the bench. Tyler Lancaster is a good early-down rotational defensive tackle. James Looney and Fadol Brown could push for playing time as rotational players as well.
