Green Bay Packers 2018 Preview

Green Bay Packers 2018 Preview

Opening Statement: Things did not go as hoped in Green Bay last season, and Aaron Rodgers missed a huge chunk of the season to injury. He played in just 7 games last season, and the Packers largely struggled to get anything done without him and finished with just 7 wins. A rebound to full health and ability will be a very good thing for Rodgers and the team, but here is another factually troubling matter...Rodgers is just 5-6 in postseason starts since winning the Super Bowl. Is he winding down entering his 14th season in the league?

Breakdown Quarterback
The hot seat of head coach Mike McCarthy has to be directly tied to the performance of Rodgers at QB this season, as both need to have a huge rebound from last season to retain an image (for Rodgers) and a job (for McCarthy). If Rodgers continues heading in the wrong direction, things could become very interesting next off-season in Green Bay.

The backup spots are not set in stone, as Brett Hundley, largely believed by some to be the eventual heir apparent to the job, fell flat when he had his opportunity to replace Rodgers last season. He tossed just 9 TD passes to 12 INTs last season, and his pseudo star is diminishing quickly, which is why the Packers traded to acquire DeShone Kizer from the Browns, who did not exactly light the world on fire in his own right. The only other QB in camp is UDFA Tim Boyle from Eastern Kentucky, at least for now.

Breakdown Running Back
The run game was nothing short of a mess last season. Some can be attributed to bad line play, and the rest can be attributed to the QB situation with Rodgers out, which allowed opposing defenses to tee off on the Packers run game. In any event, the backs on the roster did not pan out last season, and improvement must come in 2018.

Ty Montgomery is back, but got beat up and ended the season on IR for the former WR. Aaron Jones is back, and averaged 5.5 yards per carry, but has been suspended 2 games by the league for violating the substance abuse policy. Jamal Williams also returns, but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season, and finished with just 556 yards in 16 games, which included 7 starts. Devante Mays is back as well, but fumbled on both of his first 2 career carries in the league.

Aaron Ripkowski is the starting FB, but is more of a bonus on special teams. Joe Kerridge is the backup, but won't see much action, if he makes the cut.

Breakdown Receivers
Davante Adams is developing into the rising star of this offense, and led the team with 74 receptions for 885 yards last season. He could break the 1000 yard mark if Rodgers stays upright this season. Randall Cobb returns for his 8th season with the Packers, and is starting to slow down some, but is still one of the better SLOT receivers in the league.

Geronimo Allison is expected to back up Adams, but is coming off a down year, and has to show what he still has in the tank in camp. Trevor Davis is the backup to Cobb, but has just 8 receptions over 2 seasons.

The Packers hit this position heavy in the draft, which is for good reason. Equanimeous St. Brown was drafted at a heavy value position as a 6th rounder, but has day 2 talent and size. He should surprise some people in camp, and start working his way into the rotation. J'Mon Moore probably had some inflated numbers at Missouri due to system of play, and has some issues with drops. If he can be coached out of that issue, he could see some time as well. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was drafted in the 5th round, and while a solid prospect, he may need more developmental time than the other 2 rookies.

Michael Clark is a former basketball player out of Marshall, and has some intangibles, but is still in a developmental state.

Breakdown Tight End
Jimmy Graham comes over from Seattle, and should be a premier weapon in this offense, especially on 3rd downs and near the goal line. Rodgers should look at Graham as one of his new best friends on the field. Marcedes Lewis is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but has long been one of the best in the game, and he has enough left in the tank to make an impact here.

Veteran Lance Kendricks is back, but had a down year in 2017, and needs to show he still has something left. Emmanuel Byrd probably does not make the roster cut.

Kevin Rader and Ryan Smith look like camp bodies that won't make the cut, as does Robert Tonyan, who is in his second camp.

Breakdown Offensive Line
David Bakhtari is back at LT after allowing just one sack last season. The RT spot should be interesting in camp. Kyle Murphy was showing some serious development last season, but ended on IR. Brian Bulaga tore his ACL for the 2nd time last season, and also ended up on IR. BOth are in the mix at RT. Jason Spriggs is the backup, but really is in a show me situation this camp. If he does not have a strong performance in August, he is gone in September.

Justin McCray is back to start at RG, but nobody knows for sure if he has found his permanent home, as he played 4 spots last season, mostly to mixed reviews. Lane Taylor has evolved into a fixture at LG, and continues to develop every season. Lucas Patrick can play at both Center or OG, and may push for the RG job in camp to start. Kofi Amichia is entering camp as the backup at RG, but could end up on the practice squad, or end up being cut, when all is said and done.

The Packers also drafted Cole Madison from Washington State, and he has impressed in early workouts. Look for him to have his name in the hat for the starting RG job as well. Adam Pankey was inactive most of last season, and looks to be a camp cut.

If there was one member of the team that could be depended upon to stay on the field last season, it was Corey Linsley, who played every snap as the starting Center. He is the leader of the line, and is getting better with time. Dillon Day has never played a down since entering the NFL in 2015, but is listed as the backup at C. He may not make the cut.

Breakdown Defensive Line
Muhammed Wilkerson has moved on from the Jets after that relationship soured, and he has to prove that he still has some gas left to play on, but will start from day one at DE in the 3-4 defense. Dean Lowry started 11 games at DE last season, and will back up Wilkerson to start the season.

The Packers have a riser in the middle of the line at NT in Kenny Clark, who is a massive disruption in the middle against both run and pass. He just keeps getting better as time moves along. Mike Daniels will be the starting DT next to Clark, and his motor cannot be matched inside.

James Looney was drafted late out of Cal, and looks to be a developmental prospect that the staff really likes. Montravius Adams hurt himself early last season, and once healthy, he never got off the bus. He has to show what he has in camp, or be on his way out.

Breakdown Linebacker
The Packers have some questions at OLB, as both Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are both severe injury risks. Both missed significant time last season, and Matthews, at 32, is not who he once was. Vince Biegel was banged up as a rookie last season as well, and has to show he can stay on the field. Kyler Fackrell is listed as the backup to Perry, but has not shown anything to date and could get pushed out.

Reggie Gilbert will be a player to watch in camp, as he made some gains in a short time after being promoted from the practice squad late last season. Kendall Donnerson is a developmental prospect as a rookie, and is probably the fastest LB on the team. Chris Odom struggled trying to transition from DE to OLB, and could be at the end of his run with Green Bay.

The inside LB spot got some bad news last week, when Jake Ryan was lost with an ACL tear in his knee, and was lost for the season. That means that rookie Oren Burks will have to step up big time and get on an accelerated learning curve. Blake Martinez is now the best LB on the team after leading all tacklers with 158 last season.

Ahmad Thomas is in just his 2nd camp, and may be in the mix to replace Ryan, along with Burks.

Breakdown Secondary
Tramon Williams returns to Green Bay as a free agent signing from the Cardinals. He enters his 12th season, and is going to be more of a coach on the field this season. Kevin King showed promise as a rookie, and should start opposite Williams, but he finished the season with a bad shoulder injury, and has to show that the injury will not effect play moving forward.

Jaire Alexander backs up Williams, for now, and was drafted in round one last spring. He will be an eventual starter, and could be the primary Nickel Corner out of camp. Josh Jackson was a ball hawk at Iowa last season with 8 picks. He lacks overall speed, so he may be more of a zone corner option.

Davon House and Lenzy Pipkins are both veterans who could be kept around for insurance, but short of injuries happening, I don't see both sticking.

Donatello Brown played in 4 games last season, but spent most of the year on the practice squad. Demetri Goodson Has not played a ton of reps over the last 4 years, and may be on his way out. Josh Hawkins has experience, but just cannot cover in the red zone. Quentin Rollins had an achilles injury last season, and was on the fringe to begin with. Herb Waters has to put injuries behind him, and show that he has something. All of these players named in this paragraph could likely end up as being cut.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix regressed terribly at Safety last season, and enters a contract year in 2018. He could be  on his way out the door if he has another year like 2017. Josh Jones had a terrible rookie season, but is still in the mix for the starting job at SS.

Jermaine Whitehead was the Dime Safety last season, but has to have a big camp to stick this one out. Kentrell Bryce has a shot to move into the 3rd Safety spot this season, but has to stay healthy to do it. Marwin Evans is a special teams ace who will make the cut because of that, but is looking to get into the Safety rotation as well.

Breakdown Special Teams
Mason Crosby returns at PK after a down year, but most of the issues can be attributed to bad holds and snaps last season. He needs some up grades around him to succeed fully.

JK Scott was one of the best Punters in college football at Alabama, and will likely be the starter at Punter from day one.

Trevor Davis and Aaron Jones will handle kickoffs, but Jones will be missing for the first 2 weeks. Davis also returns punts.

JK Scott will take over on holds for Crosby, while Zach Triner will handle long snaps. Triner enters his 2nd camp.

Final Analysis: The Packers have more answers than questions as they come off a 7-9 season in 2017. Can Rodgers return to form? Can the run game get off the ground? Can the line find a way to mesh? Can the receiving corps improve with new blood added? These are all primary concerns, meaning that there is a concern in every phase of the offensive game.
Defensively, the Packers have issues as well. Are they getting the Wilkerson of old at DE? Are they deep enough in the middle and on the end? Can the LBs stay healthy? Does Clinton-Dix return to rookie form, or are the Packers shopping that position?
With so many questions, and not enough stable answers, the Packers could be on the fringe again in 2018, and that could be enough to cost McCarthy his job.