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GREEN BAY, Wis. — By most measures, the Green Bay Packers offense was mediocre last season.
Here's how it ranked:
Total offense, 15th in the NFL.
Rushing offense, 15th.
Passing offense, 17th.
Points scored, 16th.
Yet when the offense clicked, the Packers were nearly unbeatable. They had nine games last season with 27 or more points and went 8-0-1 in them.
During a four-game winning streak from Weeks 11-14, the Packers scored nine touchdowns in 11 red zone drives. Yet for the season, they ranked 14th in red zone touchdowns (57.6%).
Coach Matt LaFleur brought back offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and offensive line coach Luke Butkus, whose unit underperformed. But there's a new/old quarterbacks coach with Luke Getsy returning to the job he held from 2019 to 2021 and a new receivers coach in Noah Pauley.
LaFleur plans to continue to call plays, but he said he was going to strip down the offense and start like it's "Year 1 all over again and really get into the detail of what we're doing."
With that in mind, here's a position-by-position look at whether the Packers are better, worse or the same at each group:
Quarterback
Returners: Jordan Love
Key losses:Malik Willis, Clayton Tune, Desmond Ridder
Key additions:Tyrod Taylor, Kyron Drones, Kyle McCord
Love had his highest completion percentage (66.3) and fewest interceptions (six) in his three seasons as a starter but also had his fewest touchdown passes (23) while playing in 15 of 17 regular-season games. His focus this offseason has been on his footwork in effort to further improve his accuracy.
"When I go through my read, getting into my hitches, not getting antsy," Love said when talking about his mechanics. "Not trying to move through the pocket too fast, but just staying calm, staying relaxed, move through my reads. If I have to move around the pocket, keeping those movements tight and not running into where guys might be peeling off and able to hit you. Just really trying to focus on my feet, my pocket movements, I think all those things are tied into accuracy and the timing of routes."
When Willis signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Dolphins, the Packers lost one of the best backups in the league. Taylor, 36, gives Love a veteran backup for the first time, but Taylor has won just three of nine starts the last four seasons combined.
Tune was ineffective in his lone start last year in the regular-season finale against the Vikings and was released soon after. Ridder was signed late in the season but never played.
Drones, an undrafted rookie from Virginia Tech; and McCord, who was on the Eagles practice squad last season; don't seem likely to unseat Taylor as the backup.
Better, worse or the same? Worse
Running back
Returners: Josh Jacobs, Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong Jr.
Key losses: Emanuel Wilson
Key additions: Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon
Jacobs battled a knee injury the second half of last season, and while he missed only one game because of it, his production declined. For the first time in his seven NFL seasons, he did not have a 100-yard rushing game. The Packers brought him back despite a significant spike in his pay ($11.5 million this season) and didn't draft a running back or make a veteran addition. There's also the possibility that Jacobs could be suspended by the NFL after his arrest on domestic violence charges, but there have not been any formal charges filed.
There's optimism that Lloyd's injury problems are behind him, but that's risky considering he's played in just one game in two pro seasons.
"I think he's done everything he can in his power to put him in the best possible position," LaFleur said. "He's just going to have to go out there and prove it."
They re-signed Brooks, a solid third-down back, and like what Strong has shown after spending last season on the practice squad.
Martinez was signed to the practice squad late last season, while Nixon was signed as an undrafted rookie.
Better, worse or the same? The same
Receiver
Returners: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Bo Melton, Savion Williams, Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard
Key losses:Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks
Key additions:Skyy Moore, Brenden Rice, J. Michael Sturdivant
The Packers had one of the deepest receiver rooms in the NFL last season, but perhaps that handcuffed Love because he had so many players who wanted the ball. There's a theory that by letting Doubs leave in free agency to sign with the Patriots and trading Wicks to the Eagles, the offense could finally produce a WR1.
The Packers solidified their top-three by signing both Reed and Watson to contract extensions this offseason and put Golden, last year's first-round pick, in position to get more targets.
"It was hard to get everybody the amount of touches that we'd like to get them," LaFleur said. "So I think this is an opportunity to kind of reset everything, and we've got more opportunities I'd say for everybody in that room."
The most significant addition to the receiver group was Moore as a kick return specialist.
Better, worse or the same? Better
Tight end
Returners:Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Messiah Swinson, Drake Dabney
Key losses: John FitzPatrick
Key additions: Luke Lachey, RJ Maryland
Kraft was on his way to becoming one of the NFL's top tight ends when his season ended in Week 9 with a torn ACL. Kraft insisted that he will be ready for Week 1, and if that's the case, the Packers should be stronger at this position than they were when last season ended.
Whyle, who was promoted from the practice squad last season after Kraft's injury, was one of the standouts of the offseason practices and saw his snaps increase after Musgrave dropped out of minicamp with an undisclosed injury.
"He's shown a lot of good things," LaFleur said. "I've always really liked Josh in terms of being a movable piece, but he's gotten some opportunities on things that maybe Luke would have done. So the more reps he's getting, I think the better he's getting."
Better, worse of the same? Better
Offensive line
Returners:Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Darian Kinnard, John Williams, Travis Glover, Jacob Monk, Brant Banks, Karsen Barnhart, Dalton Cooper
Key losses: Elgton Jenkins, Rasheed Walker
Key additions:Jager Burton, Josh Gesky, Dillon Wade
It's time to see if Morgan, the 2024 first-round pick, can be a franchise left tackle. The Packers could have re-signed Walker cheaply but decided they needed better at the key spot on the line, especially after Walker struggled in the playoff loss to the Bears.
"We had to use him in other spots last year because that was what was best for the team," OC Stenavich said of Morgan. "But I'm excited about him this year and what he's going to do."
Perhaps the inconsistent line play could be chalked up to injuries considering Banks, Jenkins and Tom combined to miss 15 regular-season games.
Rhyan performed well at center after Jenkins' season-ending broken leg, prompting the Packers to re-sign Rhyan and release Jenkins.
Burton, a fifth-round pick, could challenge to start at any of the interior spots.
If this group can stay healthy and build chemistry throughout the season, it could be an asset instead of a hinderance.
Better, worse or the same? Better
