Roster Holes Packers Must Fill Before Training Camp
The Green Bay Packers will head to Ray Nitschke Field in just under two weeks to kick off their 2024 training camp.
The good news for Brian Gutekunst and the Packers front office is that they will enter camp with far fewer questions than they did in 2023. This time last year, it wasn't clear that Jordan Love was going to step into the role of franchise quarterback among other questions.
By the end of the season, the Packers proved that they will once again be a factor in the NFC.
Love put on a show over the back half of the season and the Packers advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs with a win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Now the trick will be building on that momentum to do even bigger things in 2024. However, there are a few holes in the roster that might need to be addressed if Green Bay is going to get the most out of the season.
Based on the current projected depth chart and their current roster construction, here are three positions or roles the Packers should be looking to fill before they begin camp.
Backup Quarterback
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There are a lot of things to like about the Packers in 2024, but it's also reasonable to expect there's going to be fierce competition in the NFC North.
The Detroit Lions are coming off an NFC Championship appearance and the Bears should be much improved after landing Caleb Williams and overhauling their offensive weaponry. The Minnesota Vikings might take a step back in J.J. McCarthy's rookie season but they will be dangerous on a week-to-week basis.
The Packers are going to be in the thick of things, but it means that every win is going to matter.
So things like having a backup quarterback who can come in and win a few games if Jordan Love gets injured are critical.
It's not clear the Packers have that on the roster right now. Sean Clifford was a 2023 fifth-round pick with just one career pass attempt so far. The Packers drafted Michael Pratt in the seventh round of this year's draft, but he's a project with limited upside at this point.
There aren't many veterans out there who would fit the bill. Ryan Tannehill is the most obvious choice at this point.
Offensive Line Depth
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The Packers have been good at drafting and developing offensive line recently, but they are relying pretty heavily on that ability this offseason.
There are a few different combinations that the Packers could go with up front. A lot of it depends on who wins the starting left tackle job. Rasheed Walker held down the spot last season, but first-round pick Jordan Morgan could be in line to take the job.
Morgan playing on the edge would likely have Sean Rhyan slot in as the right guard.
They could also opt to play Morgan at guard and let Walker continue to develop as the blindside protector. Then there's Zach Tom. He has the ability to play either center or right tackle.
All of this points to the Packers eventually being able to figure out a starting five that works for them, but they still need at least two of the three between Morgan, Walker and Rhyan to prove ready to start.
Signing a veteran at either tackle or guard would give the Packers some added insurance that they can have a good offensive line in the first weeks of the season.
Greg Van Roten is an ideal target at guard. The 34-year-old played well with the Raiders last season and should be interested in an offensive system as lineman-friendly as Green Bay's. Charles Leno might be the best available tackle option.
Linebacker
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Linebacker is another position where the Packers are hoping to get big contributions from a collection of young players.
The move from a 3-4 front to Jeff Halfey's 4-3-based defense is going to require the Packers to have more off-ball linebackers who can be on the field. With De'Vondre Campbell leaving in free agency, Quay Walker is the only locked-in starter.
From there, the Packers are likely going to be hoping that Edgerrin Cooper is ready to play sooner than later. The second-round pick is an ultra-athletic prospect, but it can take time for a linebackers to nail down the finer points of the position at this level.
If Cooper isn't ready to take on a huge role right away, the Packers could be relying on Isaiah McDuffie to take on more snaps than he's seen before.
There are multiple veteran linebackers who could help stabilize the room for them moving forward.
Kwon Alexander could be a nice fit and Anthony Barr is still looking for a home. Neither would be long-term solutions but could afford Cooper a longer runway to playing time.
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