ESPN Ranks Packers Offensive Weapons in Bottom Half of NFL

ESPN came out with their rankings for each NFL team’s offensive weapons heading into 2020, and the Green Bay Packers sit in the bottom half of the league.

Although the Green Bay Packers did finish 13-3 in 2019 and just one game shy of the Super Bowl, as many will point out, they didn’t necessarily look as dominant as one would expect from a team in their position.

There were stretches where moving the ball on offense was extremely difficult, and as a whole, the wide receiver unit underwhelmed as did the tight ends. In terms of total yards per game, they were around the league average, and the same goes for points per game, as well as total first downs. Although by Football Outsiders’ DVOA efficiency metrics, the Packers’ offense did rank as the eighth-best in the NFL last season.

However, given the ups and downs from the offensive unit as a whole in 2019, ‘average’ is a good word to describe their play.

As a result, it was almost assumed that the Green Bay Packers were going to use this offseason to bolster their receiver room and help give this offense some much-needed juice. But as we all know, that wasn’t the case.

With limited spending power in free agency, the Packers would sign Devin Funchess to a cheap one-year deal, and in the draft, they didn’t select a single wide receiver. Naturally, this has many questioning Green Bay’s talent on offense entering the new season. And it would appear that ESPN’s Bill Barnwell agrees.

Barnwell just released his 2020 offensive weapons rankings and the Packers clock in at 19th. The same spot that Barnwell had them in 2019 and four spots ahead of their 2018 ranking.

Barnwell notes that Green Bay has two of the best players in the league at their respective positions in Davante Adams and Aaron Jones, but after them, “there’s mostly hope,” as he puts it, which is a fair assessment.

While Allen Lazard, fortunately, emerged over the course of last season, in a larger role in 2020, and with more film on him, it’s fair to wonder if he can duplicate that performance for an entire year. Then there is Devin Funchess, who missed just about all of 2019 with an injury, and we hope that he can return to his 2017 form.

Similar questions surround Equanimeous St. Brown, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Jace Sternberger. We hope – there’s that word again – that St. Brown picks up where he left off prior to his injury. We hope Valdes-Scantlilng bounces back. And we hope Sternberger makes that Year 2 leap that so many successful NFL players make.

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not nearly as concerned about Green Bay’s pass-catchers as some are. Each of the aforementioned players has had NFL success – some more than others – and there is a significant difference between Years 1 and 2 in an offensive system. I fully expect this side of the ball to be improved this season.

With that said, I understand their ranking near the bottom third of the league. Although there’s potential, it is just that, potential. And as Barnwell points out, outside of Adams and Jones, there are few proven weapons on this side of the ball.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom either as Barnwell is optimistic about Lazard and Funchess in the passing game. He notes the impressive 1.72 yards per route ran that Lazard posted in 2019, and Barnwell sees Funchess as a much more effective No. 2 or 3 receiver than most.

I also want to point out that the combination of Jones, A.J. Dillon, Jamaal Williams, and Tyler Ervin could very well be one of, if not the best backfield in football.

While the Green Bay Packers didn’t go out and add any significant weapons to the offense this past offseason, let’s not overlook that they do still have Adams and Jones. Those two alone are more than what most teams have. Not to mention several players who have made big plays over the last two seasons and a plethora of pass-catchers for Aaron Rodgers.

So, given that, I would have ranked Green Bay slightly higher, but not much. And I understand where Barnwell is coming from as there are quite a few unknowns on this side of the ball entering 2020. For the most part, the Packers are banking on internal development to help take them to the next level – and by no means is that a bad thing – now we wait and see if that happens.