Three important decisions the Packers must make before the regular season

NFL training camps are heating up, and teams have plenty to figure out over the next month.

Here are three decisions the Green Bay Packers must make before they kick off their regular season on Sept 6.

Settle the position battle at kicker

Anders Carlson took his lumps during his rookie season last year, missing seven field goals and six extra points. While kicker isn’t the most glamorous position, it certainly can be important in deciding who wins close games. Simply put: Carlson may be too much of a liability to hand over the starting job to again.

Green Bay brought in some competition for the 26-year-old Carlson this year in former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph and rookie James Turner. The team already knows what it’s got in Carlson so it would behoove the Packers to get Joseph and Turner as many looks in live games during the preseason as possible.

Who is CB2 opposite Jaire Alexander?

Injuries limited Alexander to just nine games last season, and in his absence, Keisean Nixon (633) and Carrington Valentine (537) saw significantly more coverage snaps as a result. But with Alexander ready to reclaim his role as CB1, who fills the other starting role opposite of him?

Valentine had moments last season in which he looked like a starting-caliber CB, but he also had some growing pains that typically come with inexperience. Nixon played the biggest role he’d ever had during his five-year NFL career, but he couldn’t hold receivers below a 77.9 completion percentage.

Former first-round pick Eric Stokes is heading into his fourth season, and this could be the perfect year to prove himself as a worthy starter. Seeing how each performs in camp and the preseason is of the utmost importance for the Packers, who have a tough decision to make regarding their secondary.

Is it necessary to add a backup QB?

Behind Jordan Love, the Packers have three backup QB options — Sean Clifford, Jacob Eason and Michale Pratt — but none looked impressive during training camp so far when Jordan Love sat out while negotiating his new contract.

If something were to happen to Love, Packers fans would likely feel much better about Ryan Tannehill or Brian Hoyer keeping the team afloat in a playoff race than any of the three guys currently on the roster.