The Packers have put out their official 53-man roster with 16 practice squad players. They are now ready for week one as the NFL regular season has now begun. Now the Packers have a very talented roster this year, as shown in the preseason where they were ranked one of the top teams. However, with a lot to like about this team, some concerns could affect them as well. No NFL roster is perfect, as flaws will always be there. With that being said, here are some question marks about the Packers as week one approaches.
Will Safety Be A Huge Issue This Season?
Safety is a huge question mark for the Packers this season. The Packers tried to address it in free agency and the draft, but there has been no true standout at that position. The only true starter right now is Darnell Savage, and he has been very inconsistent since his promising rookie year, including getting benched late last season. Rudy Ford, who signed with the Packers last year, played decent, yet he probably is not the true answer at safety. Tarvarius Moore, who signed with the Packers this offseason, looked promising, but he unfortunately got hurt and was put on injured reserve ending his season. Johnathan Owens was another signing in the offseason, and he has been inconsistent all training camp and the preseason. Dallin Leavitt is a core special teams player and should not see the field, and Anthony Johnson is a rookie that needs development. There is a lot of concern with that group, and hopefully, that position will be resolved by week one.
Will Josh Myers Be A Liability?
This is a very crucial season for third-year player Josh Myers. Has he been a bad player for the Packers in his two years with the team? The answer is no, but he is under pressure due to the fact the Packers passed on Creed Humphrey, one of the best centers in the NFL right now, for him in the 2021 draft. Now he is a very good pass blocker, and he will do his job to protect the quarterback. However, he has too many mental errors and is very inconsistent. His run blocking is not good, he has had too many bad snaps, and he seems confused about his blocking assignments quite a bit. Head coach Matt LaFleur and the rest of the Packers coaching staff have full confidence in him, but he needs to deliver. As of right now, he is the starting center; however, if he cannot perform well, the Packers have other options, like moving second-year player Zach Tom into his spot. This definitely will be a make-or-break year for Josh Myers.
Can Joe Barry And The Packers Defense Live Up To Expectations
The Packers’ defense was very underwhelming last season, and a good amount of the blame does go on defensive coordinator Joe Barry, as he seemed very conservative last season when calling plays for the Packer’s defense. The defense as a whole did not live up to expectations for most of last year but did play much better towards the end. Barry had a conversation with his players in the offseason and asked what needs to change on defense. The players responded by saying cut them loose and let’s be more physical and aggressive. Well, that has been shown as they were ranked one of the best defenses in the preseason as they are playing much faster and flying to the football. Yes, it was preseason, and it does not matter too much, but still good to see much improvement on defense. Yet, Joe Barry does not deserve all the blame, as the players need to be better too. Listen to this interview by Jaire Alexander on Joe Barry and the Packer’s defense early in the offseason.
#Packers CB Jaire Alexander says they made “too many excuses” for their performance last year.
Says the biggest thing this year for the defense has been coming together to execute the call by Joe Barry👇 pic.twitter.com/6IpaNLBZUr
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) July 31, 2023
Alexander is spot on with his comments, as no matter what Joe Barry called last year too many times, players on the Packers’ defense looked very confused and did not know their assignments. Now Barry is showing he is changing, but the players need to execute. This can potentially be a top-ten or five-defense if everything comes together this year.
Will Jordan Love Build Off His Promising Preseason?
Jordan Love is in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Packers. There will indeed be a certain amount of pressure on him as he is trying to carry the tradition of great quarterback play the Packers have had for the past two decades. He seems off to a good start as in the preseason, he looked very good as his final numbers were 21/33 for 193 yards, and threw three touchdowns with a 109.8 passer rating. He looked very good and was not forcing the ball into spots where nothing was there and just taking the easy throws. Love showed he can run Matt LaFleur’s system, and that is all the Packers can ask from him, as he does not need to be Aaron Rodgers and try to do everything. The true test will start in week one against the Chicago Bears, and hopefully, Love will build off his promising preseason.
Will The Packers Use Aaron Jones And AJ Dillion Consistently?
It was pretty obvious in the games the Packers won last season that they were getting the run game going with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion. In all of their losses, they were not running the ball enough or getting them more involved with the game plan. They should have been used more last year, with Aaron Rodgers playing with a broken thumb and having a lot of young players on offense. This year Jones and Dillion need to be more involved to help to take the pressure off Jordan Love in his first year as starting quarterback and not rely on his arm. The Packers paid Aaron Jones and spent a second-round draft pick in 2020 on AJ Dillion for a reason, and that is to run the ball down opposing defenses throats. The Packers need to get that run game going early if they want to have success on offense this year.
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