The Green Bay Packers will head to Minnesota to play the Vikings in Week 1 on Sunday afternoon. Here are a few quick thoughts on the Packers as Matt LaFleur’s team enters the 2022 regular season.
– I may sound like a broken record, but A.J. Dillon isn’t just a backup running back in this offense. He will be a featured player. Over and over again, Aaron Rodgers has said he’s one of the offense’s best 11. The Packers will find ways of getting both Dillon and Jones on the field together. And if Jones is going to be a bigger part of the passing game, naturally Dillon should play a bigger role as a runner. If I was a betting man, I’d have money on Dillon producing over 1,275 total yards (75 per game) and scoring 10 or more touchdowns in 2022. He’s going to break out as an elite player this year.
– Eventually, rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are going to play a big role in the passing game. It’s a matter of when not if. Watson’s size and speed are truly threatening and need to be on the field, even if it’s just in the MVS field-stretching role. Doubs proved he has legitimate separation ability all summer and may have long-term star power. They will need time to adjust, and Aaron Rodgers trusts the veterans ahead of them, but Watson and Doubs probably hold the keys to unlocking the true potential of the Packers offense.
– One more thing here to nail home the point: Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb both have extensive injury histories, and Allen Lazard (ankle) is already dealing with an injury issue. The Packers also like playing Lazard and Cobb inside in the slot. An opportunity to play on the perimeter is absolutely going to be available for Watson and Doubs.
– Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark are going to wreck football games. Little doubt about it. I’m just as excited to see veterans Preston Smith and Jarran Reed this year. Smith is coming off arguably his best pro season, and Reed has a 10-sack season in his past. Both are going to be facing a lot of single-team blocks. If they are disruptive, who will be able to block this front?
– Having De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker play together should, in theory and in practice, greatly assist the defense’s ability to defend the middle of the field in the passing game. They are both 6-4 and can run like the wind. What a luxury. Windows are going to be tight (and look smaller) for quarterbacks who want to attack those potentially vulnerable areas in two-high shell coverages.
– Once Robert Tonyan is 100 percent, I’d expect him to re-establish himself as a major part of the passing game. Rodgers loves his game (he called him Pro Bowl quality on Wednesday), especially as a route runner, and LaFleur’s scheme has always been tight-end friendly. If the Packers are dominant again in the red zone, Tonyan will have to play a big role.
– Interested to see how the Packers mix and match defensive responsibilities for the three cornerbacks. It should be, and almost certainly will be, matchup-based. Rasul Douglas might be the primary slot defender, but Jaire Alexander should be the top option against quicker slot receivers. Douglas and Eric Stokes are plus defenders on the perimeter, so this should be an easy transition to make during games and between weeks.
– Keep an eye on Darnell Savage’s hamstring injury. He’s been sitting out for a month, and he’s still on the injury report to start Week 1. The Packers will hope it’s not a lingering issue because the depth at safety is nothing if not concerning.
– Speaking of depth, the Packers are going to be counting on a few castoffs as the primary depth in the secondary. Keisean Nixon (not re-signed by Raiders), Dallin Leavitt (released by Raiders) and Rudy Ford (released by Jaguars) could all play major minutes if there’s an injury or two. Scary. All three are core special teamers.
– The depth on the offensive line is young but so intriguing. Yosh Nijman is entering Year 4 after playing in a lot of games last season, and rookie Zach Tom looks like the real deal. Can Jake Hanson, who might start Week 1, be the Lucas Patrick-like supersub inside once everyone is healthy? Developing players like Rasheed Walker and Caleb Jones long-term could really pay off.
– We’ll see if Amari Rodgers becomes anything more than a gadget weapon on offense. He’s not higher than WR6 on the depth chart, and the Packers really only got him involved on handoffs and manufactured touches in the preseason. Rodgers will enter the season as the primary returner. Can he have a Tyler Ervin-like impact?
– Losing a player like Davante Adams isn’t fun, but there should be a certain excitement level about how the loss of an important player can push a playcaller and schemer like LaFleur – and a quarterback like Rodgers – to evolve in meaningful and valuable ways. The offense is going to look different. It has to. And Rodgers has to play a different way. New doesn’t always mean better, and it certainly could mean regression, but it’s exciting nonetheless. There should be trust in the relationship between LaFleur and Rodgers in terms of getting it right in the post-Davante era.
– One has to wonder if Watson and Doubs eventually push Rodgers to return for at least one more season in 2023. They are rookies, but the potential long-term is obvious. Just as the evolution on offense is exciting for an outsider, it’s fair to ponder if the new relationships forming between quarterback and wide receivers are invigorating for the four-time MVP.
– Who knows how much of first-round pick Devonte Wyatt we’ll see in 2022. He was disappointing this summer, especially as a 24-year-old rookie from a major conference. The transition is a tough one, but nothing could have prepared Wyatt for the professional game like playing at Georgia. He’s an older prospect. He needs to produce early.
– Is the third-round curse alive and well? Offensive lineman Sean Rhyan didn’t look ready to play in any type of way during the preseason. He’ll be buried on the depth chart to start his rookie season. It’s a little disappointing that his transition to right guard has gone so poorly early.
– Book it: Second-year center Josh Myers is going to be the breakout player of 2022.
– The Packers may take a step back in the win column this season (can anyone really expect them to win 13 games for the fourth straight year?) but this is still a top Super Bowl contender. An elite quarterback and an elite defense can take a team – even one with holes – a long way. We know the first is true, but the defense still has to prove its caliber in games. This team isn’t perfect, and it’s probably not as good overall as recent Packers squads, but it’s talented in the right areas and built to win late in the season.
