Packers' Position Battles to Watch Ahead of 2021 NFL Season

The Green Bay Packers lost two offensive linemen to the Los Angeles Chargers in the last two offseasons.

The departure of Corey Linsley to the AFC West may hurt the Packers more than when Bryan Bulaga left prior to the 2020 campaign.

Linsley built up a chemistry with Aaron Rodgers over six seasons and that will be hard to replicate at least at the start of the 2021 season.

Green Bay has a handful of young offensive linemen who will be fighting for positions when training camp begins.

The Packers may have a larger concern about their defensive backfield since that was one of the weaknesses that hampered their Super Bowl push last season.

The addition of 2021 NFL draft pick Eric Stokes should provide more competition for Kevin King, and that will make cornerback one of the positions to watch in training camp.

Offensive Line

Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press

There are a handful of questions surrounding Green Bay's offensive line going into the 2021 campaign.

The Packers have to replace Linsley at center and make sure David Bakhtiari is 100 percent healthy to start in Week 1.

Matt LaFleur and his staff have to find the right spots for Jon Runyan Jr. and Elgton Jenkins, both of whom can play all across the offensive line.

The Packers also chose center Josh Myers in the second round of this year's NFL draft, so he could compete for snaps, which would push Runyan and Jenkins out to guard, tackle, or the bench.

The organization of the offensive line could be dependent on Bakhtiari's health. If he is not deemed 100 percent for Week 1, Myers, Jenkins and Runyan could all find themselves in the starting lineup.

If the veteran offensive lineman is good to go, the Packers still need to build depth just in case an injury occurs, like it did at the back end of last season with Bakhtiari.

Cornerback

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

King's inefficiencies were exposed during the NFC Championship Game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The targeting of King by Tom Brady was one of the factors that likely led the Packers to select Stokes with the 29th overall pick.

Stokes' stature as a first-round selection should give him the right to compete for a starting position in training camp.

With Jaire Alexander installed at one cornerback position, Stokes should be in direct competition with King.

King's position is under threat because of the poor playoff performance and the 63.2 completion percentage he conceded on 57 targets. In his previous two seasons, King held opposing wide outs under a 60 percent catch rate.

If Stokes outplays King this summer, he could go right into the starting lineup, unlike 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love.

Wide Receiver

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The list of players beneath Davante Adams on the wide receiver depth chart is full of intriguing names.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard are the top returners behind Adams, Amari Rodgers comes into camp off a successful collegiate career at Clemson and Devin Funchess is back after opting out in 2020.

Valdes-Scantling and Lazard were two of four Packers players to have more than 400 receiving yards last season. Adams and tight end Robert Tonyan were the others.

Adams and Tonyan should receive the bulk of targets from Aaron Rodgers, but the team needs a wide array of options to get the best of opposing secondaries.

Amari Rodgers should bring more speed to the lineup and could be used in the slot, while Funchess may be utilized more on the outside since he is more of a physical presence.

If the Packers strike the right combination of players, they should have a strong group of five or six wideouts fighting for targets each week.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.