It's game week for the Green Bay Packers. On Saturday, the team faces the Cleveland Browns in week 1 of the preseason, a special opportunity to watch how the young players are developing.
The starters will play, which includes quarterback Jordan Love , so the expectations are even higher.
The weekly mailbag is up, let's talk some (kinda) real football.
The offensive line depth in general is really concerning. Veteran Andre Dillard and developmental piece Kadeem Telfort are rotating in both spots, but after all I expect that one of them will be chosen to be a preferred swing tackle. Caleb Jones missed the start of training camp, but now he can enter the competition as well.
Initially, I thought the Packers could move Jordan Morgan to tackle in a pinch if needed, but by the way the coaching staff is talking , they don't want to mess with his play at right guard in his rookie season.
Personally, I would move Elgton Jenkins to tackle, putting Sean Rhyan at left guard if Rasheed Walker or Zach Tom isn't available at some point. Jenkins wasn't great at right tackle in 2022, but he was coming off a major injury. His playing level at left tackle in 2021 indicates he can perform outside, and probably at a much higher level than Andre Dillard.
You can argue that Dillard could play better with Matt LaFleur and Adam Stenavich, but he was something from below average to bad for several years in good circumstances for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even though he's more of a finesse lineman, he had a 47.4 pass block grade last season for the Tennessee Titans. It's hard to trust he will bounce back.
Maybe Telfort or Jones can solidify themselves as better options, but we have to wait for preseason games to have a clearer understanding of where they are.
The Packers have an obvious surplus of talent at wide receiver, and that's why I mentioned Bo Melton as a potential piece to finalize a three-team trade with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers involving Brandon Aiyuk.
That being said, that was more of a thought exercise than something I really think will happen. Usually, Brian Gutekunst does these types of deals with players who won't make the 53-man roster, and he extracts some value out of them.
A candidate this year might be guard Royce Newman. We know he isn't exactly a plus starter, but his playing experience and early career flashes can entice a team to make a move. Remember, the Packers were able to get a late-round pick from the Jacksonville Jaguars for Cole Van Lanen.
The evidence we have right now certainly suggests the Packers are a playoff team. The Detroit Lions are fairly seen as the favorites to win the NFC North again, and it will be a tough division — maybe the best in football, with the Chicago Bears doing a lot of right things.
The Packers can win the division if Jordan Love keeps his ascension and if Jeff Hafley makes the defense play like the individual potential of its players would suggest it is able to.
On the other hand, there are real question marks around this team. Love was excellent down the stretch in 2023, but usually it's smarter to project based on the full season of performance. That would still be really good for Love, but not MVP-level good like he was from week 9 on. If (knock on wood) he gets hurt, the backup quarterback situation is concerning, just like the offensive line depth. And it's hard to be sure the defense will play well — they might be better and still not great.
With all that on the table, except for a Love injury, I trust Matt LaFleur and his staff to keep developing this young roster. Some players might not progress as we expect them to, but other will, and that should be enough for a playoff spot.
Related: Latest Packers injury update makes decision to play Jordan Love even more questionable
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