Green Bay Packers: 1 Major Storyline To Watch For After OTAs and Mandatory Minicamp

Each NFL team, including the Green Bay Packers, will have at least one major storyline to watch for as training camp begins next month. OTAs and mandatory minicamp are in the rearview mirror now. There will be many spots up for grabs coming training camp.

There is a lot of uncertainty for a lot of teams including the Green Bay Packers between now and Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season. The offense has the potential to be one of the best offenses in the NFL this season. A lot of the success will depend on how well the offensive line will play.

One of the biggest stories for the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been when will quarterback Jordan Love receive his contract extension. They hope it will happen before the start of the 2024 season.

Bleacher Report Suggests That the Green Bay Packers Biggest Storyline Is Implementing a 4-3 Defense

Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report wrote about the biggest storylines after OTAs and mandatory minicamps for each NFL team entering NFL training camp. He believes that the Green Bay Packers biggest storyline is switching from a 3-4 defensive scheme to a 4-3 defensive scheme.

Joe Barry was the defensive coordinator last season and Jeff Hafley is the new defensive coordinator. Many Green Bay Packers fans wonder how this switch will fix the defense for the better. Fowler said:

“The Green Bay Packers hung their hat on deploying odd-man defensive fronts (3-4) in years past. New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s primary 4-3 scheme will likely take some time to adjust to.

While there shouldn’t be any surprises as to who will align along the trenches for Green Bay, questions remains about who will start at safety and linebacker.

Quay Walker took a step forward in 2023, but it’s worth watching who lines up alongside him during training camp. The Packers spent a pair of draft picks on Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M) and Ty’Ron Hopper (Missouri), and 2021 sixth-round pick Isaiah McDuffie could be an option as well.

In the secondary, prized free-agent addition Xavier McKinney will start, but his running mate at safety also remains unclear for now. Rookies Javon Bullard (Georgia) and Evan Williams (Oregon) are expected to compete for snaps, as is fifth-rounder Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State) once he returns following offseason toe surgery.”

On the Green Bay Packers depth chart at the moment, Javon Bullard is projected to be the other starting safety along with Xavier McKinney. Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes are projected to be the starting cornerbacks, but Carrington Valentine has a chance to take Stokes’s job.

On the defensive line, Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are projected to be the starting defensive ends, with Luka Van Ness possibly being in the rotation as well. Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt will be the starting defensive tackles, but Karl Brooks is a name to watch for during training camp.

Along with Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, and Isaiah McDuffie are projected to be the other starting linebackers for the Green Bay Packers. A season ago, the Green Bay Packers averaged giving up 335.1 yards per game. Green Bay only gave up 206.8 yards per game through the air, but they had the fifth-worst rushing defense by allowing 128.3 yards per game.

They hope this new defensive scheme can stop the run. Despite all of the yardage they gave up on the ground last season, the Green Bay Packers gave up 20.6 points per game.