The Green Bay Packers 2023 training camp practices are now complete, and for a team that entered the summer with a number of question marks, there were a lot of things learned over the last month.
We saw the emergence of Malik Heath at wide receiver and Emanuel Wilson at running back. The exciting play of Sean Clifford and the playmaking of Carrington Valentine. There have been additions made, players released, and a whole lot more.
However, to take a step back and put a bow on everything that has happened, here are my six big takeaways from what unfolded over the course of these training camp practices.
The Packers can win games with Jordan Love
Just because the Packers can win games with Jordan Love still doesn’t necessarily mean that they will. After all, Aaron Rodgers went 6-10 in his first season as a starter, but Love has shown the ability and skill set to be able to lead this team to victory.
Throughout the offseason, Matt LaFleur has continued to preach that it’s about the process for Love, which includes everything from once he enters the huddle to the ball leaving his hands, and if the process is done correctly and consistently, the results will follow. Well, the results are following. I asked Love about this on Wednesday, and in short, his comfort with what he is being asked to do is helping him to play faster and execute.
“It’s been good,” said Love. “I’m seeing it well when I get out there and break the huddle. I have a way better feel. Just understanding where I need to go with the ball is the biggest thing, and just being comfortable with that so I can play fast and not be out there thinking so much. So that’s probably been the biggest thing that has helped me be comfortable, play fast, is just knowing pre-snap where I need to go, what the process is, and be able to execute fast.”
Love has done a really nice job of taking care of the football and striking a balance between knowing when to push the ball downfield or trying to fit it into a tight window and when to continue going through his progressions. He’s also shown the ability to throw guys open and not only having the scheme create opportunities for him. Not to mention that even under pressure, he looks cool, calm, and collected. All of which, when combined, is a recipe for success.
The speed and versatility of the offense
There is a lot of inexperience amongst the Packers’ pass catchers, but there is also a lot of speed and versatility, which will open up the playbook for Matt LaFleur. Both Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have sub-4.4 speed, while Luke Musgrave was one of the fastest tight ends in what was a very deep and athletic draft class. And not to be forgotten is Romeo Doubs, who can run a variety of routes and is able to create separation that way.
The tight ends can play in-line or in the slot, with Musgrave even being used on the boundary and on jet sweeps as well. The receivers can play inside and out, while the Green Bay running backs can play from the backfield, the slot, or outside, and all these position groups have capable blockers.
Having this ability to move players around from snap to snap and take on a variety of roles will allow LaFleur to achieve that illusion of complexity he has often described. In short, because these players from these position groups can take on a variety of roles, including lining up all over the formation and running different routes, it allows the Packers to run a number of different plays from just a few personnel groupings. This then will lead to mismatches for the offense to exploit.
Still some experimenting along the offensive line
Just when we thought we had a good idea of what the offensive line configuration was going to be for Week 1, LaFleur moved Zach Tom to center during Thursday’s practice and Rasheed Walker to right tackle. prior to that, throughout the majority of training camp we saw Josh Myers at center with the starters and Tom at right tackle, with David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, and Jon Ruyan in their usual spots.
If I were to guess at this point, the latter is the group I still expect to see come Week 1 in Chicago, primarily because that’s the combination we’ve seen the most of, and it’s not particularly close. But with that said, the Packers are looking for consistency from Myers, something he has been better with as of late, according to LaFleur. However, botched snaps between him and Love have been an issue throughout training camp.
As we know, the Packers aren’t afraid to experiment or make changes along the offensive line. Whatever unit they go into Week 1 with may not be the group we see in Week 2 and beyond. I tend to think that by moving Walker around right now, they are seeing what options they have in case injury or poor play strikes.
Understandably so, all eyes are on the Love and the Packers’ pass catchers, but success for the offense begins with the offensive line. If Love doesn’t have time in the pocket, the play probably doesn’t end well. If the run game can’t get going and this young offense is put into frequent predictable passing situations, it again, probably won’t end well.
The front seven has looked very good
I’ve been really impressed with the play of the front-seven this summer. The interior defensive line has done a very good job of generating consistent push and flowing sideline-to-sideline in pursuit of the ball carrier or the quarterback. Overall, this group looks a lot faster than in past years and deeper as well, with the emergence of Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, and Jonathan Ford, along with TJ Slaton and Devonte Wyatt also making developmental leaps.
This time a year ago, the edge rusher depth was a concern, and we saw why once Rashan Gary’s season was over. But this summer, the depth looks greatly improved. From the top to the bottom of the depth chart, even those like Keshawn Banks and Arron Mosby, who are practice squad candidates, the edge rushers have done very well at getting after the quarterback. LaFleur said on Thursday that there is a lot of “potential” within this unit.
Lastly, the linebackers have been close by in coverage, flowing well to the ball when the running back is trying to get outside, and they’ve been very good at filling gaps at the line of scrimmage. For most of the summer, running between the tackles has been tough sledding for the Green Bay offense. We’ve also seen this position group asked to blitz more as well.
If the Packers’ defense as a whole is going to improve this season, they have to pressure the quarterback more consistently, ranking 22nd in total pressures in 2022, and also be much better against the run, ranking 28th in yards per carry allowed. And all of that starts with the play of the front seven.
Rudy Ford has emerged as the starting safety next to Darnell Savage
The biggest positional battle on the roster this summer was at the safety position, where it was unknown who was going to be lining up next to Darnell Savage. With how heavily this position group was rotated, even being at practice, it was difficult to decipher where things stood. However, over the last week of practices, Rudy Ford has been back with the starters consistently, and while LaFleur didn’t come out on Thursday and say he was the starter, he did allude to it.
LaFleur commended Ford for his ability to communicate pre-snap, an important aspect of playing safety. From his time on the field last season, he proved to be a capable tackler and a willing run defender while also simply doing what was asked of him. which helped erase some coverage breakdowns and put Ford in position to make plays on the ball.
Just like with the offensive line and things continuing to be fluid, it will be the same for the safety position. Whoever is starting Week 1 may not be starting in Week 3.
The ups and downs of Anders Carlson
You really don’t know what to expect watching Anders Carlson each day. In practices, we’ve seen him go 6-for-6 one day and then 1-for-6 the next. We’ve seen him miss back-to-back kicks under 40 yards and then go 3-for-3 from over 50 yards. However, as Brian Gutekunst has reiterated a few times, the team knows that patience is required with a young kicker, and from the sounds of it, the Packers have every intention to give him that opportunity to work through these growing pains. Last Friday, when meeting with the media, Rich Bisaccia listed off five kickers that he has worked with in the past that had slow starts to their careers but eventually were able to put it all together, with Anders’ brother Daniel Carlson being one of them.
Like any young player, what Carlson needs right now are reps, which is why there wasn’t a second kicker on the team this summer–the Packers wanted him to kick as much as he could. Carlson packs a lot of power and also has shown the ability to bounce back quickly, which are two characteristics that led to the Packers drafting him back in April. In a season where points could be at a premium with a young offense, it may be hard to watch at times, but the Packers’ intention is to figure out if Carlson can be the guy beyond 2023, so they’re going to give him the opportunity to showcase whether or not that’ll be the case, knowing that patience will be key.
