When the Green Bay Packers reflect on the 2023 NFL season, a few things jump out. Jordan Love emerged as one of the young quarterbacks with the most promise in the game. The group was likewise fast to change its aggressive identity. The offensive rookies showed significant progress, moving from receiver to tight end. The defence will face some challenges in 2024, even though a large portion of the offensive core is anticipated to return.
Joe Barry has left. The team and Matt Lafleur will be greatly impacted by this hire, even though his replacement has not yet been decided. If the Packers decide to explore outside the organisation for Barry’s replacement, the defensive plan will probably change. There are elements to work with regardless of the person who fills the position. One of the team’s most seasoned veterans, Kenny Clark, had a productive year. According to pro-football-reference, Clark played a major portion of the snaps and accumulated 7.5 sacks in 17 games.
For Green Bay, easing in other players like Davonte Wyatt was a priority. In 2022, Wyatt’s snap total more than doubled compared to his rookie year. Although Wyatt was anticipated to be a breakout star, other defensive linemen for the Packers produced as well. with his third season with Green Bay, T.J. Slaton had an increase in snap count. Slaton didn’t have many sacks to his name, but his consistent play was evident all season long. Slaton’s inclusion in the rotation allowed players like Preston Smith and Rashan Gary to focus on their strengths.
Smith and Gary hauled in 17 sacks together. Of the 45 sacks the defence allowed, Clark, Gary, and Smith combined for more than half of them. The Packers should be encouraged about their core moving forward because of the development of their young players as well as the steady output of their star players.
Still, there are a lot of concerns about the secondary. For crucial secondary snaps after Rasul Douglas was traded to Buffalo, Green Bay had to rely on a number of young guys. Although Darnell Savage Jr. made a sort of comeback with his profession, he played in 2023 under a modified contract that hinted at a possible split between the two parties. Savage performed better in 2023, but there’s no guarantee he’ll stay in Green Bay. Rudy Ford, Correy Ballentine, and Keisean Nixon are other prominent free agents in the defence class.
Considering Jaire Alexander’s recent ambiguous statements, the Packers may have to consider a few new secondary players. With the 2024 class of cornerbacks available in the next draft, Green Bay will have a strong defensive backfield to restock. The Packers should be able to move their draft board in a way that could result in them selecting blue-chip players thanks to the extra selection capital from the Douglas and Aaron Rodgers trades.
Green Bay will make improving the run defence a top emphasis. The Packers front seven will have significant challenges to answer in light of the secondary’s uncertainty. Green Bay’s reliance on youthful, inexperienced linebackers made them susceptible to attacks from the run. The Packers had the fifth-worst run defence in the NFL, according to ESPN metrics. This was mostly the linebackers’ doing. There was more to be desired outside of Quay Walker.
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