The Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster is set and they are poised to take on the Chicago Bears in Week One. The 2023 roster is drastically different from the 2022 roster, which one would hope is true following an 8-9 season. However, the changes have been drastic. Of course, Jordan Love has taken over as the starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers held the role for the last 15 seasons. That may be the most drastic change, though youth can be seen throughout the roster.
But youth does not always mean better. The last NFL team that was as young as the 2023 Packers were the 2017 Cleveland Browns, and they went 0-16. One would hope that the Packers will not be that bad, or bad at all for that matter. But where did they get younger and where did they improve? Here, we will take a look at all the players that suited up for the Packers in 2022 and compare them to the 2023 53-man roster.
Quarterback
- 2022: Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love
- 2023: Jordan Love and Sean Clifford
The temptation is to hold Love to prime multiple-MVP winning Rodgers standards. As exciting as it would be for him to be that good right away, the odds are that he won’t. He may never reach that level, but that is not the question.
The question is will be an improvement over the 2022 version of Rodgers. Last season, Rodgers completed 64.6% of his passes, throwing for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also played for a portion of the season with a broken thumb on his throwing hand.
Love looked pretty good in the Packers’ three preseason games and has spent time this offseason working on developing chemistry with his young wide receivers. The signs all point to an improved quarterback situation in 2023 compared to 2022.
Running Back
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon blocks for running back Aaron Jones as he scores a touchdown against the Chicago Bears.
- 2022: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill, Patrick Taylor
- 2023: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Emanuel Wilson
This position is not nearly as complicated as the quarterback position. The top two running backs from last season are the same. Hill was released before the 2022 season ended and Wilson made the 53-man roster over Taylor (who was signed to the practice squad).
This is easily an improved position (though slightly).
Wide Receiver
- 2022: Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Amari Rodgers, Juwann Winfree, Sammy Watkins
- 2023: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath
One of the biggest storylines surround the Packers this offseason (and there were many) is the youth and inexperience of the wide receiver room. But it’s not like last year’s group was very good either. Rodgers and Watkins were released during the season, Winfree barely saw the field, and Lazard and Cobb were allowed to leave in free agency without an effort to bring them back.
One would expect all three of the receivers drafted last year to improve in 2023, especially after spending the offseason working with the quarterback who will be throwing them the ball. Additionally, Reed, Wicks, and Heath all have higher upsides than the receivers no longer on the roster.
In theory, the Packers improved at wide receiver, but they will need to prove it on the field.
Tight End
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
- 2022: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis
- 2023: Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Josiah Deguara, Ben Sims
Had Davis not torn his ACL in the Packers’ first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he would have made the roster again, if only for his special teams capabilities. Deguara is intriguing because training camp and preseason indicated he will be used more this season, but as a full back.
Sims is the newest addition, having been claimed off of waivers from the Minnesota Vikings. It has been quite a while since Green Bay carried an undrafted rookie tight end on their roster, but they must have seen something they liked.
The question is whether or not Musgrave and Kraft are upgrades over Lewis and Tonyan. When it comes to pass catching, the answer is “yes.” Tonyan had a breakout season in 2020 when he caught 11 touchdowns, but a torn ACL in 2021 and an underwhelming 2022 made his departure easy to swallow. Of course, the fact that Rodgers refused to utilize the middle of the field much last season may have had something to do with his lack of production.
When it comes to blocking, though, neither Musgrave nor Kraft are going to be able to match Lewis’ blocking abilities. So, on one hand, the Packers got better in terms of receiving tight ends, but worse when it comes to blocking tight ends.
We’ll call this a wash.
Offensive Line
- 2022: Zach Tom. Royce Newman, David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr., Royce Newman, Jake Hanson, Rasheed Walker, Luke Tenuta, Sean Rhyan, Yosh Nijman
- 2023: Zach Tom, David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr., Royce Newman, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, Yosh Nijman, Luke Tenuta, Caleb Jones
The Packers did not add any real new offensive linemen, but rather this group is improved due to the fact that Bakhtiari and Jenkins are entering the season fully healthy. Also, Jones is an upgrade over Hanson in terms of overall talent.
Overall Consensus on the Green Bay Packers Offense: Improved
Defensive Line
- 2022: Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed
- 2023: Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Kenny Clark, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden
The Packers allowed both Lowry and Reed to go in the offseason. Lowry signed with the Minnesota Vikings while Reed returned to the Seattle Seahawks. Neither were big impact players last season. In fact, many were calling for Wyatt, then a rookie, to get more playing time than Lowry. This did not happen until Lowry went down with an injury late in the season.
By all accounts, Wyatt has looked great in training camp and is poised to make a big jump in Year Two. Slaton, too, is expected to get more playing time as a probable starter on the line. In the Packers’ 3-4 scheme, a starting group of Wyatt-Slaton-Clark is sure to be much better than Lowry-Clark-Reed. That being said, Brooks and Wooden, aside from looking good in preseason, are unproven rookies. Status: optimistic but concerned.
Inside Linebacker
2022: De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Krys Barnes, Ladarius Hamilton
2023: De’Vondre Campebll, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson
One the one hand, the only changes the Packers made at linebacker were not bringing back some of their depth from last season. On the other hand, Campbell was playing through injuries all season and Walker was a rookie. Campbell being healthy and Walker having a year under his belt only make the unit better.
But will Campbell’s ankle be at full strength when the season starts? Will four inside linebackers be enough?
McDuffie and Wilson remain solid backup options. Status: Concerned (about health/depth)
Edge Rusher
2022: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Justin Hollins, Kingsley Enagbare, Tipa Galeai, Kobe Jones
2023: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Justin Hollins, Kinglsey Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox
The Packers edge rushing group took a massive blow when Gary tore his ACL. Smith, Hollins, and Enagbare played well enough, but neither Galeai nor Jones made much of an impact.
Gary is looking to be ready to go Week One, and will be playing on a snap count according to Coach LaFleur. But some Rashan Gary is better than no Rashan Gary.
Lukas Van Ness is a project, but has great raw talent. Brenton Cox went undrafted due to character issues, but was such a force in preseason competition the Packers couldn’t not add him to the roster. He could be special.
Still, Gary’s knee isn’t up to game speed and it is hard to predict how well rookies will do, especially in reserve roles. While full of potential, it is a concerning group. If one of Gary or Smith go down, no one has proven to be able to match their impact.
Cornerback
- 2022: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Shemar Jean-Charles. Corey Ballentine
- 2023: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine
Eric Stokes is starting the season on the PUP list, which means he will miss at least the first four games of the season. That’s a hit, but Alexander, Douglas, and Nixon are more than capable of handling their business. Valentine proved in preseason that he is ready to hang with just about anyone.
Still, depth is concerning, though it was not like Jean-Charles and Ballentine provided quality depth anyway. Alexander is arguably the best corner in the game, and Douglas is an absolute ball hawk. Nixon will be getting regular playing time on defense for the first time, but is fast enough to keep up with any wide receiver.
The top talent is not a concern, Valentine is promising and exciting, but what if someone goes down? That is a question the Packers hopefully do not need to find the answer to.
Safety
- 2022: Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt, Innis Gaines, Tariq Carpenter, Jonathan Abram, Micah Abernathy
- 2023: Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt, Jonathan Owens, Zayne Anderson, Anthony Johnson Jr.
The safety position was a concern going into 2022, throughout 2022, and it is still a concern going into 2023. The Packers are betting a great deal on Savage bouncing back after two down year, hoping Ford is a solid starter, and that Jonathan Owens can play better than he did in Houston.
They added Anthony Johnson as a seventh round pick in the 2023 draft, but he only started playing safety in college during his final season. He is still learning the position. Leavitt is a phenomenal special teams player, but a liability on defense. And Anderson, well, he’s basically Tariq Carpenter, whom the Packers just released. The only difference is that Carpenter was making the move from safety to linebacker and Anderson has been moving from linebacker to safety.
Overall Consensus on the Green Bay Packers Defense: Concerned
Specialists
- 2022: Pat O’Donnell, Mason Crosby, Jack Coco
- 2023: Daniel Whelan, Anders Carlson, Matt Orzech
It’s a concern. Let’s not even try to pretend it isn’t. Necessary? Probably. But that doesn’t mean it’s not concerning.
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