6 Reasons for Optimism in 2023 with the Packers

Rich Bisaccia

The addition of Rich Bisaccia to the coaching staff in 2022 did not only improve the play of the special teams unit on the field but there was an organizational shift within Green Bay in how they view the special teams unit. In short, it became a priority, and we’ve seen that with a number of free-agent additions over the last two seasons who were initially brought to Green Bay to help on special teams. A few of these players include Dallin Leavitt, Keisean Nixon, Rudy Ford, and Zayne Anderson.

In Rich Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings, the Packers finished the 2022 season ranked 22nd. That on its own is nothing to write home about. However, it’s a far cry from 32nd, which Green Bay had been ranked in 2021, as well as on a few other occasions over the previous decade. This was also a group that started the season somewhat slowly, but one could argue fairly easily that by season’s end, they were playing much better than the 22nd-ranked unit.

More than likely, there are going to be ups and downs from rookie kicker Anders Carlson this season, but the Packers’ collective special teams unit, now in Year 2 under Bisaccia’s tutelage, has the potential to again make another jump.

The Cornerback Room

The Packers cornerback room is filled with playmakers. On the boundary will be Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas, both of whom have a knack for making the big play when it matters most. Only three players in the NFL had at least four interceptions in the fourth quarter last season, and two of them were Alexander and Douglas. Keisean Nixon will be in the slot. Carrington Valentine, who had an excellent summer, really showcasing his ability to make plays on the ball, will be the backup. And eventually, Eric Stokes will return.

Late last season, we saw more cover-2 and cover-6 from this Packers defense, along with Alexander being able to switch sides of the field depending on where an opponent’s top receiver was aligned–although he still didn’t follow the receiver if they went in motion. This helped put the members of the secondary in better positions to make plays. A huge contributor to the defense’s late-season success was their ability to create turnovers in those final handful of games.

This Joe Barry defense is predicated on playing zone. So, although the Packers have the personnel to compete in man coverage, that isn’t going to all of a sudden be the calling card of this unit. But with that said, what we need to see this season are more timely adjustments, and just because a team plays zone doesn’t mean they have to play soft as often as Green Bay did. One encouraging aspect from this summer is that in practice we saw the Packers corners challenging the receivers a bit more at the line of scrimmage.

Turnovers are a volatile stat, so it can be difficult to predict how often they will happen. However, with a young offense, winning the turnover battle feels like a near must for the Packers this season. It will take away possessions from the opponent and give Love an additional possession or two with likely good field position at times.