Green Bay Packers: Linebackers Best and Worst Case Scenarios
By Kenny Jilek
The Green Bay Packers’ best and worst-case scenarios for every player series continues today with the inside linebackers.
The Green Bay Packers’ linebacker room is full of youth. With the exception of Christian Kirksey, no one has played more than two NFL seasons. The Packers often put just one linebacker on the field last season to better defend the pass, but that also may have been for lack of other talent at the position with B.J. Goodson being the top backup.
This season, with Kirskey as the probable starter, if he stays healthy, the other five linebackers will all look to get themselves into the rotation and gain enough confidence from the coaching staff to get themselves on the field consistently.
With Blake Martinez, the team’s leading tackler and one of the leading tacklers in the NFL gone, someone has to fill that void. Tackles don’t tell the whole story, however, and getting more speed on the field and having linebackers that can run sideline to sideline better and work in coverage will be a welcomed addition.
The linebacker group breaks down into three basic categories: the two rookies, Kamal Martin and Krys Barnes. The guys who were rookies last season, Curtis Bolton and Ty Summers. And the two guys with more experience than the others, Oren Burks and Christian Kirksey.