Green Bay Packers: Assessing the Future of Each Offensive Position
Aaron Rodgers Leads a Green Bay Packers Offense With Bright Present and Future
Throughout the years, the NFL has increasingly become a league of the "now" — you're either successful in the present, or it's likely you'll be finding another job in the near future.
While you could debate whether that is for better or worse, there's no denying the fact that the pressure on coaches and general managers in the NFL to produce immediate results is higher than it has ever been.
The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, are one of the few teams left who defy that trend. Coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson have produced seasons of 13-3, 11-5 and 10-6, but they've also have had 6-10 and 8-8 seasons sandwiched in between.
So, despite some shaky seasons, why does this work for the Packers?
The reason is simple: They have always valued the future as much as, if not more, any team in the NFL.
With that principle firmly in place in Green Bay, let's get to part one of breaking down its future. The Packers offense kicks us off.
Quarterbacks
1 of 9
At possibly the most important position in all of sports, the Packers have a steady and bright future with their quarterbacks.
Aaron Rodgers, 27, has progressed into one of the league's elite at the position. Put simply, no quarterback in the NFL combines the accuracy, arm strength and mobility in the pocket that Rodgers possesses.
Also the highest rated passer in NFL history, Rodgers is locked up with the Packers until 2014 with a very manageable six-year, $65 million contract.
The only concern with Rodgers moving forward is concussions—he suffered two in 2010, and the NFL has become more strict with their policies regarding them.
Backup Matt Flynn was viewed as a potential liability heading into the season, but the former seventh-round pick impressed in his first career start in New England.
Rumors about trading the 25-year-old Flynn were thrown around this offseason, but it seems the Packers are quite happy keeping him around as an insurance policy to Rodgers.
However, he is under contract for just one more season, and it's possible he could bolt after 2011 if he thinks he can start for another team.
Rounding out the quarterbacks is Graham Harrell, also 25. While active for just one game all season, Harrell did show some promise in training camp and the preseason.
The lockout could hinder any further progress however, as Harrell will be unable to attend coach McCarthy's quarterback school during the offseason. He's under contract through 2012.
Future outlook: Bright.
Super Bowl MVP Rodgers is the face of the franchise and could be the next big star in the NFL.
Flynn is young and a serviceable backup, but the Packers might lose him after next season. Harrell has a chance to progress like Flynn if given the time and work.
Green Bay could draft a quarterback in the later rounds to compete with Harrell and possibly replace Flynn, but the top of the depth chart is as good as it gets.
Running Backs
2 of 9
For a team that ranked 24th in the NFL in rushing a year ago, common sense would tell you that a key part of that equation—running back—wasn't very good.
In the Packers case, that might only be half true.
Say what you want about Ryan Grant, but losing him in Week 1 certainly hurt the Packers running the ball. However, with only 790 career carries, the 28-year-old Grant should still have some production left in him moving forward.
Yet he also has a few downsides that you can't avoid. Grant will be owed nearly $6 million next season, and he's due to become a free agent after 2011.
While losing Grant put the Packers season on the ropes, it did give the Packers an opportunity they otherwise wouldn't have had.
Much like when Grant won the job in 2007, the Packers were frantically searching for a replacement at running back when rookie James Starks took the job by the horns towards the end of season.
His 123 yards against Philadelphia were a Packers rookie playoff record, and the 315 he racked up in four playoff games led all postseason rushers.
Under contract until 2014 and just 25 years old , Starks clearly has the opportunity to be the Packers long-term answer at running back. If there is a training camp and preseason, he'll be fighting Grant for carries.
Brandon Jackson, also 25, rushed for 703 yards filling in for Grant and is a free agent this offseason.
While unlikely to find big money on the market, Jackson is a valuable third down back for the Packers and should be affordable to bring back.
23-year-old Dmitri Nance, the man who replaced Grant on the roster, might struggle to make it back for a second season.
He has a thick lower body and showed a few flashes in limited action, but the numbers just don't add up. Nance currently has a three-year deal.
Future outlook: Malleable with potential.
Grant will probably head into the season as the starter, but that's far from set in stone. Starks has the ability to supplant him at any point.
Still, proceed with caution regarding Starks. You must remember that he's only played in seven career NFL games and has a long history of injury problems.
Don't get me wrong, the potential for Starks to be a good to very good option at running back certainly exists. But let's not pencil him in for the Pro Bowl just yet.
He's no longer the new sensation he was in the playoffs, and he has to prove it over a 16 game schedule.
Also, keep an eye on what happens with Jackson. The Packers could draft a running back almost anywhere in April's draft, and a high pick would almost certainly be the end of him in Green Bay.
Fullbacks
3 of 9
Rarely in today's NFL would a space be needed to assess the fullback position, but that's not the case for the Packers.
With three fullbacks on the roster for the past two seasons, it's obviously a position the Packers value higher than other teams.
One possible reason for that could be that Green Bay has yet to find a complete fullback.
Korey Hall started the season as the starter, but the 27-year old was more of a factor on special teams than on offense. The Packers declined to tender Hall, and he'll be a free agent this offseason.
John Kuhn, 28, turned into a rock star at Lambeau Field and on the road this season, but that doesn't mean he was necessarily a complete fullback. While certainly the best receiver of the three, Kuhn isn't a masher in the run game like the third member of the trio.
Drafted in the fifth round of 2009 draft, Quinn Johnson has the potential to be the best of the three.
He needs to become more assignment-sure and a better receiver, but he could be a monster blocker. He's also under contract until 2013 and just 24 years old.
Future outlook: Steady but inefficient.
The three fullbacks together get the job done for the Packers, but having the trio on the team is a waste of valuable roster space.
While both Kuhn and Hall are free agents this offseason, it appears that Kuhn would have the edge in coming back. He's a fan favorite and should remain cheap.
Johnson is the wild card. If he can become more well-rounded, there's no reason the Packers would need to keep more than one fullback on the roster.
With Green Bay, however, you can never count out adding more to that position.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Wide Receivers
4 of 9
Throughout the entire Packers offense, there might not be a more fluid position than wide receiver.
On one hand, the Packers seemingly have an embarrassment of riches with Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Jordy Nelson at the position.
Jennings, just 27, has vaulted himself into the discussion of the NFL's best receivers and is under contract through 2013.
Opposite Jennings is the aging but steady Driver, who at age 36, still has something to offer.
Jones, 26, and Nelson, 25, are probably the NFL's top No. 3 and No. 4 receiver combo.
However, on the other hand, several factors could alter those riches.
Driver battled through injuries last season, and the signs of a slowdown are inching closer and closer. It's possible he's lost his stranglehold on the No. 2 receiver spot as well.
Jones' free agency this offseason might define whether this stays an elite group. If he finds starter's money, and he might, the trio of Jennings, Driver and Nelson isn't nearly as impressive as the quartet they made with Jones.
And Nelson, who caught nine passes for 140 yards in the Super Bowl, is only under contract through next season.
Fifth receiver Brett Swain still faces a steep learning curve to be in the discussion of replacing either of the four ahead of him on the depth chart. He's a restricted free agent this offseason.
Future outlook: Still bright, but clouds are moving in.
Jennings will always be the star of the group, but the three below him have a lot of sorting out to do.
Driver is on the way down, and it's unclear whether Jones or Nelson could pick up the lost production over a full season. It's also unclear how much longer either of those two will be on the roster.
You'd have to believe that some team is going to throw some cash Jones' way in free agency, and he'd be hard-pressed not to take it if he thinks he can be a starter.
Eventually, the Packers are going to need to pick a receiver to replace either Jones, Driver or both, and this might be the one to do it.
Tight Ends
5 of 9
Save for the quarterbacks, no position on the offensive side of the ball is as set as the tight end spot is for the Packers.
Headlined by 23-year-old Jermichael Finley, the Packers' three tight ends blend talent, potential and grit moving forward.
Finley, who missed all but four games and a series vs. Washington, already has loads of talent but has yet to live up to the potential.
While he hasn't put together a full season, you'd have to believe he would put up monster numbers over a full 16-game schedule. One worry, however: Finley is only signed through 2011.
Some shook their heads when Thompson drafted another tight end in the 2010 draft, but Andrew Quarless turned out to be a valuable pick after Finley went down.
He doesn't quite have the same physical abilities of Finley, but Quarless showed some flashes of being a viable option as the No. 2 tight end in the Packers offense. He's only 22 years old and under contract through 2013.
Tom Crabtree, the Packers' third tight end, is the grit in the equation. He's far from a flashy player, but he brings blocking and toughness to the position and is signed through 2012.
Veteran Donald Lee was cut two weeks ago, and Spencer Havner is a free agent.
Future outlook: Bright with a chance to get brighter.
Obviously, it's easy to look at Finley and immediately say this is a bright position. However, the scary part is we've yet to see him for an entire season.
Remember, Finley was on pace for 81 catches and 1,204 yards this season if he stayed healthy. Anyone who thinks he isn't capable of that throughout a full season doesn't know what they are talking about.
In addition, Quarless has only started scratching the top of his potential. To judge him on his play this season is unfair—he was clearly not ready physically or mentally to be the full-time starter.
And while Crabtree's potential is more of an unknown, he will at least bring elements to the position that Finley and Quarless don't exactly possess.
Offensive Tackle
6 of 9
The book on the Packers' offensive tackles is a tale of two stories.
In the first, Green Bay has 22-year-old Bryan Bulaga holding down the right side. He took his bumps throughout the season, but it's clear that he is the answer at either right or left tackle for the Packers.
He should only get better as he progresses (remember he was just 21 throughout his entire rookie season) and is signed through 2014.
On the other side, however, is Chad Clifton, who is soon to be 35. While he had a Pro Bowl season in 2010, Clifton might only have one more good year left in him. He's under contract for two more seasons.
The backups don't offer a lot of reason for hope either.
Mark Tauscher has probably played his last game as a Packer, and T.J. Lang was abused by Julius Peppers in the NFC Championship game when Clifton missed a couple of series.
Lang is also in line to replace Daryn Colledge at left guard, should he leave in free agency.
Marshall Newhouse, the Packers' sixth-round pick in 2010, might have a shot later down the road at a tackle spot. He still projects better as a guard, however.
Future outlook: Half and half.
Bulaga might have one side of the line locked down for the next 10 years, but the other spot is definitely undecided.
Clifton will be the front runner to start again at left tackle, but there aren't a lot of answers should he get hurt, and there appears to be no long-term answer.
In at least one of the next two drafts, the Packers need to address the other tackle position.
Offensive Guard
7 of 9
Much like the Packers' tackle situation, the guard position has one side completely figured out while the other sits in limbo.
Josh Sitton, 24, has turned himself into one of the NFL's best guards. He was probably snubbed out of a Pro Bowl selection this year, but Sitton has many more in his future.
There is one potentially big problem: Sitton has just one year left on his rookie contract. If Thompson sticks to what he's done with other deserving players however, he should get receive a pay raise sooner rather than later.
The other side gets a little messier. Daryn Colledge is a free agent, and most early reports have him leaving Green Bay. He was often the weak link in the offensive line, anyway.
While T.J. Lang is the next in line, he struggled at times when asked to fill in. He'll still get the first crack, and he's signed through through 2012.
Marshall Newhouse (four-year contract) and Nick McDonald (three-year contract) might also get a chance, but they seem like long-shots.
Jason Spitz is a free agent and isn't likely to be back with the Packers.
Future outlook: Mostly bright.
While it would be easy to call this position half and half like at tackle, Bulaga has nowhere near the ceiling that Sitton does. To be quite honest, Sitton not making several Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams in the next few years would be surprising.
And on the other side, the Packers have more options to fill than at tackle.
However, that doesn't mean the Packers shouldn't—and won't—address the other guard spot. If there is a guard in the draft that Green Bay feels can play right away, the Packers could turn this position into a true strong point moving forward.
Center
8 of 9
The Packers currently only have two true centers under contract: Scott Wells and Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Wells, 30, is a steady performer, and the Packers coaches loves the way he plays. In fact, McCarthy said he was playing at Pro Bowl level in January.
That's probably an optimistic outlook on Wells, but he is under contract for at least another year.
Dietrich-Smith is more of a gap filler than a long-term answer at center. He has a three-year contract and is just 24, but he isn't talented enough to be a starting center full-time.
Future outlook: Solid for now.
Wells is an underrated player along the Packers' offensive line, but he is also getting older.
It is far from an immediate need, but the Packers will have to address finding a replacement for him somewhere down the line.
Overall Future Outlook for the Offense
9 of 9
To address the overall outlook on the Packers offensive future, you have to ask yourself a question.
If you were building an NFL offense, what would you want?
You'd probably start with a franchise quarterback who is young and has all the skills you'd want at the position. Aaron Rodgers is an emphatic check to those requirements.
After a franchise quarterback, you'd need explosive receivers to catch the ball. Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley are among the best at their respective positions and under 27 years old.
To protect your quarterback, a solid offensive line with good tackles is needed. The Packers have that mostly covered but could improve and get younger at two positions.
Finally, you'd want a pair of running backs who can carry the load and ease the pressure off a quarterback. Ryan Grant has a pair of 1,200-yard seasons and James Starks is possibly a better runner long-term.
When you look at it that way, it's clear the Packers have a very solid future offensively.
They are by no means perfect, and could use upgrades at certain spots, but the base of the Packers offense is going to be good for a long time.
The sun rarely shines in Green Bay during football season, but the future on offense is bright for the Packers.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")