The Green Bay Packers are six practices into training camp. The last two, on Monday and Tuesday, featured pads. It’s still early, but Matt LaFleur’s team is starting to take shape.
What’s next? Family Night arrives on Saturday night. Next week, the Packers go to Cincinnati for a joint practice and preseason game against the Bengals. Things are about to heat up.
Here are the most important question marks to monitor as training camp rolls on in Green Bay:
Can the offense get better situationally?
Every day at practice, the Packers run a competitive, 11-on-11 period featuring a new situation, such as red zone, third down, two-minute, etc. So far, the defense is 5-for-5 beating the offense. This isn’t exactly unexpected. The Packers have a first-year starting quarterback and young pass-catchers all over the field on offense, and usually the defense, which requires less detail and can do more attacking or reacting, opens training camp well ahead of the offense, which needs chemistry, timing and nuance to be successful. The Packers’ veteran defense should be winning these contests. But Jordan Love and the offense will eventually need to find things that work situationally. While Love has made plenty of big-time throws during camp, he’s had issues in big spots. As Love said Tuesday, the offense is “pretty tired” of losing to the defense. It’s time for the offense to start catching up.
Can Anders Carlson find his footing?
The Packers rookie kicker is going to test the team’s patience. Carlson missed five field goals (all over 40 yards) during Saturday’s practice and then missed three more kicks on Tuesday, including one from 40 yards and another during the two-minute, end-of-game scenario. While has has plenty of kicking power, Carlson’s distance doesn’t matter much if he isn’t consistently accurate. He was a 71.8 percent kicker in college. How many misses can the Packers stomach before competition is added? It doesn’t help that Mason Crosby remains unsigned and is still working towards an NFL opportunity. Kickers don’t get much of a grace period at this level, so the pressure is on Carlson to get things turned around.
Who starts at right tackle and center?
David Bakhtiari at left tackle, Elgton Jenkins at left guard and Jon Runyan Jr. at right guard look like the only three sure-fire starters along the offensive line. Zach Tom is competing to start at both right tackle and center against Yosh Nijman and Josh Myers, respectively. It appears two starting spots are available to just three players — Tom, Nijman and Myers. One thing to watch: Is Tom actually a sure-fire starter? It’s possible the Packers are just testing to see which combination — Myers at center and Tom at right tackle or Tom at center and Nijman at right tackle — works best. A center needs to be on the same page as the quarterback, so it’s probably necessary for the Packers to find the starter sooner rather than later.
Are Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton ready to make a big jump?
Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton might be two of the most important players on the team. The big question: Are they ready to break out in 2023? Both are expected to be starters along the defensive line, an important position group that must provide the first line of defense against the run and produce as pass-rushers. Encouragingly, Wyatt and Slaton have made flash plays and looked disruptive in team periods while also winning reps (sometimes impressively) during 1-on-1s. Can the Packers be a good defense without getting big seasons from Wyatt and Slaton? Doubt it. But if they are good? The ceiling for the defense rises dramatically. They need to continue stacking good days at camp.
Can anyone push Rudy Ford to start at safety?
The Packers signed Tarvarius Moore and Jonathan Owens and drafted Anthony Johnson Jr., but Rudy Ford has been the starter next to Darnell Savage at safety since the start of the offseason workout program. While Ford started six games for the Packers last year, he’s never gone into a season as a preferred starter. Moore has elite speed and Owens was a 17-game starter for the Texans last year, but both have been second-teamers. Will this position battle heat up, or will Savage (who was benched last year) and Ford (who was cut by the Jaguars before last season) be the Packers’ Week 1 starters at safety?
