4 Concerns for the Green Bay Packers Ahead of Training Camp
By Paul Bretl
Even without Davante Adams, this is still a well put together Green Bay Packers team with Super Bowl aspirations once again. Green Bay has the back-to-back MVP at quarterback, perhaps the best running back duo in football, and what could be a top-5 defense on paper.
However, just like any football team, there are question marks or concerns about this Packers roster–in a salary cap league, it’s not possible to fill every potential crack.
So with training camp on the horizon, here is a closer look at what exactly those four biggest concerns are for the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay Packers Concerns: Defensive depth
As I just mentioned, this could be a top-5 defense on paper. The Packers have their deepest and strongest interior defensive line rotation in years, while Preston Smith and Rashan Gary were two of the game’s most productive edge rushers last season.
Joining All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is first-round pick Quay Walker, who will allow the Packers to stay in their base nickel defense more often, which will make it more difficult for offenses to diagnose what is taking place.
Green Bay also possesses possibly the best cornerback trio in the NFL, while Adrian Amos is one of the game’s most reliable safeties, and Darnell Savage is a breakout candidate.
You get the idea and are well aware of this group’s potential. However, the depth of this unit does come into question.
Behind Smith and Gary are quite a few question marks. The Packers need more out of their third and fourth edge rushers this season compared to what they got in 2021, and right now, it is unclear who will provide that needed boost or if it will happen.
Then, as good as this secondary looks, there is a lot of inexperience behind the key starters. At cornerback, Keisean Nixon has fewer than 300 career NFL snaps, Shemar Jean-Charles has only 38, and every other option has no regular-season experience on defense.
At safety is a similar story with Vernon Scott and his 90 career snaps, all of which came in 2020, being the only NFL experience on the roster other than Amos and Savage.
As we saw last season, injuries happen, and players also need some snaps off from time to time. Several of these backups are going to see the field this season but what exactly we can expect from them is an unknown.