Green Bay Packers' Offseason State of the Union
The Green Bay Packers are entering a period of inactivity between the end of mandatory minicamp and the beginning of training camp in July, which makes this the perfect time to take stock of the team.
By now, we've had multiple opportunities to see the new faces and rookies through offseason activities, including the rookie orientation camp, OTAs and the mandatory minicamp.
Though the Packers have not released an official depth chart since January, noting which players took first-team snaps through offseason practices helps shape an idea of how the positional battles currently stand.
We'll break down the five main facets of the team—passing offense, rushing offense, passing defense, rushing defense and special teams—and how each unit stands heading into training camp.
Passing Offense
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The Packers' passing offense couldn't be in better shape heading into training camp, which makes it no surprise it has been near the top of recent offseason power rankings (see: ESPN.com, NFL.com and MMQB.com).
Aaron Rodgers' calf is fully healed, as Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin reported in May; he's got a full bench behind him in Scott Tolzien, Matt Blanchard and Brett Hundley; and Ted Thompson made sure to keep his weapons arsenal fully stocked, re-signing Randall Cobb before he could become a free agent and drafting Stanford's Ty Montgomery in May.
On any one passing play, depending on who makes the final roster, Rodgers could scan the field and see four (or five!) of the following receivers on the field: Jordy Nelson, Cobb, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis, Montgomery and Jared Abbrederis.
That's a deadly mix of stretch-the-field ability combined with slot prowess.
Expect to see Green Bay's passing game feature some unique and exciting package plays in 2015. That's likely the way Montgomery will get involved early on while he's otherwise contributing as a special teams return man. The Packers can line Montgomery or Cobb up out of the backfield and the slot, while Nelson, Adams, Janis and Abbrederis could man both the "X" and "Z" receiver spots.
With the talent on the roster, the Packers may feature the five-receiver set that worked so well for them in their 2010 Super Bowl run. Rodgers will be virtually unstoppable if that happens.
Rushing Offense
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Eddie Lacy found the perfect balance in 2014 and somehow did more with less. His overall carries decreased from 284 in 2013 to 246 in 2014, but he gained more yards per attempt last season (4.1 YPA in 2013 versus 4.6 YPA in 2014).
That's great news for head coach Mike McCarthy and running backs coach Sam Gash, who have the responsibility of utilizing Lacy to the team's ultimate benefit without running him into the ground.
That balance was slightly off in Lacy's rookie season, in which he averaged 20 carries per game and dealt with a foot injury and asthma toward the end of the season. In 2014, however, the Packers appeared to reach a sweet spot with Lacy's usage, and when Aaron Rodgers struggled with a calf injury, Lacy was able to carry the offense.
James Starks' role spelling Lacy was essential last season and will continue to be in 2015. Starks accounted for 25 percent of the Packers' rushing offense in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, with 85 attempts. (Note that percentage includes only halfbacks' carries, but none by quarterbacks or other positions.)
Behind Lacy and Starks, the No. 3 spot on the depth chart remains up for grabs. The competitors include practice-squad holdover Rajion Neal and undrafted rookies John Crockett and Alonzo Harris.
Crockett is one of the Packers' most promising undrafted free agents and was certainly leading the competition, but he sprained his left ankle during minicamp, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Though the Packers could feasibly keep four halfbacks on the 53-man roster, they may need to use that fourth spot for a second fullback with John Kuhn and Aaron Ripkowski. Neither looks to factor heavily into the rushing offense, but Kuhn proved to be a crucial lead blocker for Lacy last season.
Passing Defense
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The Packers have a proliferation of young talent both in the secondary and up front in the pass rush, which should help the passing defense match or even surpass its ranking of No. 10 in 2014.
In the secondary, the question facing defensive coordinator Dom Capers is how to get all of that talent on the field. Assuming Casey Hayward wins the starting outside job opposite Sam Shields, that leaves Micah Hyde, Demetri Goodson and 2015 rookies Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins looking for snaps—not to mention undrafted rookie LaDarius Gunter, if he makes the team.
To that end, expect Capers to run lots of sub-packages this year. The Packers already run the nickel and dime more than their standard 3-4, but this year could feature even more "Big Dime" (3-2-6) looks to get the safeties involved.
Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix have the position locked down, but look for the Packers to get Sean Richardson more involved after paying handsomely to keep him by matching the Oakland Raiders' one-year, $2.55 million offer this offseason.
Of course, Capers will have to balance his usage of the defensive backs with his usage of the linebackers when he wants to run the four-linebacker NASCAR package, which gave the pass rush a boost in 2014 and should continue to do so this season while the Packers still have the personnel for it (Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, Nick Perry and Mike Neal).
The NASCAR is effective when utilized on third downs, but it sometimes meant that skilled interior rusher Mike Daniels was taken off the field on third downs.
Ultimately, the biggest problem facing the Packers' passing defense in 2015 is how to get as many skilled players on the field at the same time, which is a good problem to have.
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Rushing Defense
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The run defense is one of Green Bay's biggest question marks heading into the season. The unit has experienced more turnover than any other position.
At inside linebacker, A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore departed in free agency. Jake Ryan was added in the fourth round of the draft and, along with undrafted rookies Tavarus Dantzler and James Vaughters, will compete for snaps in training camp with Carl Bradford, Nate Palmer, Joe Thomas and Josh Francis.
What's clear is that the Packers need to improve on their 2014 ranking of No. 23.
Through Week 8 last season, the Packers were dead last against the run, allowing 153.5 yards per game, according to the Los Angeles Times.
After moving Clay Matthews inside on rushing downs, the run defense improved to sixth overall over the final eight games, a major upswing. A combination of Matthews and Sam Barrington on the inside on rushing downs should be the most potent duo.
Up front, B.J. Raji will work to beat out Letroy Guion out for the starting nose tackle spot. Guion played well in Raji's place last season, notching 3.5 sacks, a pass defensed and a forced fumble. The Packers will try to get him involved elsewhere on the line, where they also have Mike Daniels, Josh Boyd and Datone Jones to cover gaps.
Special Teams
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The special teams unit was the thorn in the Packers' side in 2014. It's no wonder that it ranked 32nd in the league in 2014, per the Dallas Morning News' annual rankings.
Green Bay had seven blocked kicks, punter Tim Masthay had a career-low net average of 37 yards per punt, and the team only averaged 19.1 yards per kick return, the second-lowest in the league.
Yikes.
The organization has made multiple moves to improve the unit this offseason. Head coach Mike McCarthy handed off play-calling duties to associate head coach (offense) Tom Clements, giving him the opportunity to focus more on the big picture of game-planning and spend more time overseeing both the defense and special teams.
McCarthy also fired special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum and promoted assistant Ron Zook in his place.
As for Masthay's slump, Green Bay put the pressure on by signing former Alabama punter Cody Mandell in January. Mandall will compete with Masthay in camp. The Packers employed a similar strategy after the 2013 season, bringing in Giorgio Tavecchio to compete with kicker Mason Crosby, and Crosby's game improved dramatically.
As for the limping return game, general manager Ted Thompson drafted Stanford wide receiver and return specialist Ty Montgomery in Round 3. In 2014, Montgomery averaged 19.8 yards per punt return and 25.2 yards per kick return. The Packers have also been using Jared Abbrederis, Micah Hyde and Randall Cobb on punt returns in offseason practices, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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