Questions for Green Bay Packers 2020 training camp

With the Green Bay Packers set to have their first practice Aug. 15, here are some questions surrounding the team as it finally enters training camp and with the first game Sept. 13.

(Note: Yes, we’re aware of the current pandemic but the NFL has been insistent that the season will start on time thus our questions will revolve around football and not health issues.)

Will any undrafted free agents make the team?

Green Bay has kept at least one undrafted rookie on its opening 53-man roster every season since 2005. If there’s ever going to be a year that streak will end, it’s this one. Even with a full offseason, training camp and preseason games, just one UDFA made the Packers initial 53 in 2019 – wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, who played primarily on special teams before being waived and signed to the practice squad in late October (Shepherd is one of the 80 players in camp). With only a few weeks of practice – plus no preseason games to try and shine – it’s going to be harder for UDFAs to make an impression. On top of all that, Green Bay didn’t exactly shell out a lot of money for undrafted players. While some on other teams get in excess of $100,000 to sign, the Packers gave no UDFA more than $32,000 (safety Henry Black, linebacker Tip Galeai and defensive tackle Willingotn Previlon). Making the 53 is going to be rough. However, the NFL did increase practice squads from 10 to 16 members, so there’s a decent chance of sticking around and perhaps making the active roster later in the year. Green Bay has 12 UDFAs among its 80 players.

Which rookies can contribute early on offense or defense?

The best chance is second-round pick running back AJ Dillon. It might be a limited role – after all, there are blocking protections and routes to learn – but generally speaking running backs have less to learn and work on than other positions. He’s also an earlier draft pick, which helps. Head coach Matt LaFleur likes using two tight ends, so third-rounder Josiah Deguara also could see early action. The Packers’ Day 3 picks include three offensive linemen, two seventh-round defensive players and a fifth-round linebacker (Kamal Martin).

What about Jordan Love?

Green Bay traded up in the first round of the draft to select Love, who undoubtedly the team sees as its future quarterback. The first year for Love, though, looks to be a waste. How can the Packers get the rookie ready and up to speed with no offseason – minicamps, OTAs, etc. — for him while needing to get the team ready for the season? And even during the season, how many practice snaps can he realistically get as the focus shifts to opponents and game planning? This was not a good year to draft a quarterback in the first round. If you’re thinking about a divorce between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, push that timetable back a year.

Speaking of which, is Tim Boyle a lock to make the roster?

Barring injury, yes. You need a No. 2 quarterback who is familiar with the system. Love won’t be ready and there’s no other QB on the roster.

What’s going at wide receiver?

Last season, the Packers had one player with more than 500 receiving yards – Davante Adams. What are the odds that happens again in 2020? Green Bay didn’t, as many expected, upgrade the wide receiver position in the offseason. The team’s biggest acquisition, Devin Funchess, elected to opt out. The Packers currently have, including Adams, 11 receivers on their 80-man roster and none is seemingly a “true” No. 2. Allen Lazard might have the best case, having caught 35 passes for 477 yards last season. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, a pair of 2018 draft picks, have had a very uneven two years, with St. Brown on injured reserve all of last season. Jake Kumerow is a fan favorite, but he had just 12 receptions in 2019. Maybe the Packers are hoping someone will break out of the rest of the group, which includes Travis Fulgham, recently claimed off waivers from Detroit, and just-signed former Seahawk Malik Turner. But hope is neither a plan nor a strategy.

Are all signs really, really pointing to Green Bay running the ball more?

Quite simply, yes. As mentioned above, the Packers hardly strengthened their passing attack. But Green Bay did draft a running back in the second round and a tight end known for blocking in the third round. The Packers also have six tight ends and a fullback on the roster. All that being said, last season the Packers did pass way more than run – 573 pass attempts with 411 rushes (and 51 of those were by QBs). Green Bay was in the middle of the pack in the NFL in pass-play percentage at 58.2%. Only three teams ran more than it passed in 2019 – Baltimore, Minnesota and San Francisco. With a shortened offseason perhaps playing grind-it-out football will work the best, especially with strength training maybe not being what it usually is at this time of year.

Do the Packers have an advantage on defense?

As long as Green Bay can stay healthy, yes. The Packers return nine of 11 starters – which is a definite plus in a season in which there will be little time to practice together and get cohesive. This defense already largely has worked together and in Mike Pettine’s system. That could – and should – give the Packers a heads up on teams who had a lot of transition, particularly those who did so on the offensive line. We can hear Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith smiling from here at that thought.

But what about inside linebacker?

The two spots on the defense Green Bay will definitely have new starters is at inside linebacker, with the departures of Blake Martinez, BJ Goodson and Kyler Fackrell. The presumptive starters will be Oren Burks and Christian Kirksey. Burks, a third-round pick in 2018, made four starts as a rookie but primarily has played special teams in his two seasons. Injuries have nagged him a bit, but still, he does have experience in the scheme. Speaking of injuries and experience … Kirksey has been limited to nine games over the past seasons with Cleveland. However, he did post over 130 tackles in back-to-back seasons (2016-17) and played under Pettine his first two years in the league when the Green Bay defensive coordinator was the Browns’ head coach. The Packers are well-equipped, perhaps better than most, in getting their defense up to speed in time for the regular season – keep in mind the cutdown to 53 players is exactly three weeks after Green Bay’s opening practice.