Green Bay Packers: 5 reasons they will return to the playoffs

1. A New Mindset

The Packers had been operating under their old way of thinking for roughly a decade. They kept some of their core principles, such as draft and develop and the Ron Wolf player thresholds, but they have moved towards the modern NFL way of thinking. Athleticism is the new wave, while strength and size are falling by the wayside. Combination athletes are at a premium, and the Packers are filling out their roster with players like that.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, J’Mon Moore and Equanimeous St. Brown all possess great size and speed. The Packers receivers have been knocked in the past for a lack of separation, but these three will help change that. Philbin’s offense will help increase separation with different route concepts than the ones they’ve been using. It’s a step to the past that will help them move towards the future.

Burks is the new NFL middle linebacker. He graded out as the third-most athletic off-ball linebacker per SPARQ in this draft class. Pettine implements a defense that confuses offense with their looks, rather than their schemes. He was given more talent to work with, and he plans to put it to good use. The NFL is evolving into a more athletic based style. Rather than refusing and dying, the Packers are changing and evolving with it, which is why they will end up back in the playoffs.