Packers Positional Analysis

Aaron Rodgers

Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones

QuArTErbACk

In Aaron Rodgers’ first season under new head coach Matt LaFleur, the 36-year-old quarterback put up 4,002 yards, 26 touchdowns and threw four interceptions. His 4,000-plus campaign was the eighth in his career, and this is only the third time in his career since becoming the starter in 2008 that he threw five or less picks in the regular season. Still, those 26 touchdowns are good for second-fewest in seasons Rodgers has started all 16 games for the Packers (behind only 2018, when he threw 25).

While Rodgers took significantly fewer sacks this season (36 down from 49), he still has a tendency to hang on to the ball for too long. Both the head coach and starting quarterback emphasized a need to get play calls out faster in 2020 to avoid continuously taking the play clock down to the last few seconds.

Of course, Aaron Rodgers is still one of the most talented passers in the NFL, and remember that Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan won NFL MVP during his second year working with then-quarterbacks coach LaFleur in Atlanta. Expect Rodgers to take a similar leap in year two in LaFleur’s offense.

Green Bay is expected to bring in a quarterback to compete with third-year pro Tim Boyle for the backup spot. The Packers also retained Manny Wilkins for the remainder of the season on the practice squad, so Green Bay will likely be entering training camp with four quarterbacks on the roster.

runninG bACk

As expected, Aaron Jones enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019, entering the conversation as one of the league’s best backs. He flourished in LaFleur’s scheme, playing a full season for the Packers and topping 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career. On the ground, Jones had 16 touchdowns and a 4.6 yard average per carry, but he wasn’t done there. He also added another 474 yards receiving and three additional touchdowns through the air. Jones also set a new franchise record for touchdowns in a single season with 23, breaking the 22-score mark set by Ahman Green in 2003.

The complementary role in the backfield, the thunder to Jones’ lightning, was held by Jamaal Williams, also out of the 2017 draft class. Williams only had one rushing touchdown in 2019, but he shined as a weapon in the passing game, hauling in 39 receptions for 253 yards and five touchdowns. While Williams didn’t see nearly as many snaps as Jones, he did average 4.3 yards per carry rushing and a whopping 86.7 catch percentage receiving.

While Jones and Williams will once again be the featured backs in 2020, the Packers did add a second Williams (Dexter) via the draft. Dexter was only active for four games and carried the football only five times for 11 yards.

Green Bay did like the look of return-man Tyler Ervin in the backfield and on special teams, as Ervin was able to utilize some of the jet sweeps that LaFleur likes to run effectively, but Ervin entered free agency and has not been re-signed by the Packers as of the time of this writing. Rounding out the running backs group is Damarea Crockett, a rookie out of Missouri.

Expect the Packers to add competition at the running back position through the draft, as this will be a big year for the backfield with both Jones and Williams entering free agency in 2021.

Davante Adams

Allen Lazard

wiDE rECEiVEr

Davante Adams became the lone vet in the locker room after losing Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in consecutive offseasons. Then before the season even began, Equanimeous St. Brown was added to season-ending injured reserve, leaving only Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jake Kumerow, and Allen Lazard in the wideouts room.

Adams had another spectacular showing, coming only three yards shy of another 1,000-yard season despite missing four games with a lingering toe injury. He put up five touchdowns in the regular season before adding another two in the playoffs. His eight receptions for 160 yards in the Divisional Round against Seattle set a new franchise record.

Lazard became a second bright spot in a receivers room lacking star power, making plays when called upon in Adams’ absence to end the season with 477 yards and three touchdowns. Lazard quickly became a favorite target of Rodgers’ and he came up clutch when necessary, catching 24 of his 35 receptions to move the chains.

Behind Adams and Lazard, however, the rest of the receiving core mostly fizzled out. While the Packers did add free agent Devin Funchess in free agency, he’s kind of an unknown at this point after missing all but one game in the 2019 season with a collarbone injury. As a former second-round draft pick at only 26 years old, Funchess is an intriguing addition to the locker room, and the 6-4 receiver has a lot of upside. But the sample size remains small as to how Funchess will fit into Matt LaFleur’s offense with Rodgers under center.

Valdes-Scantling started the year strong, breaking a 75-yard play against the Raiders, but it seemed like he was never fully able to get on the same page with Rodgers. While he did end the season with 452 yards, a pretty decent chunk of those yards came on one aforementioned play.

Allison enters free agency this offseason and so far there’s been no indication the Packers intend to bring him back. After a promising 2018 got cut short due to injury, Allison was never able to get things going again in 2019 and he quickly slid down the depth chart.

Kumerow (like Lazard) entered the offseason an exclusive rights free agent, and the Packers opted to bring both guys back for 2020. Kumerow had a modest 2019 season and will likely be battling for his roster spot come training camp.

The Packers did sign a free agent receiver midway through the season in Ryan Grant, but he saw zero snaps on the active roster and became a free agent this offseason.

Green Bay will likely draft a receiver high in this year’s loaded class. In addition to the high draft pick, St. Brown will return to the team and compete for his spot along with Reggie Begelton from the CFL, Darrius Shepherd the explosive returner, and Malik Taylor, a rookie out of Ferris State.

As this guide went to publication, news broke that the Packers had agreed to terms with Devin Funchess to add another wide receiver to the mix.

Jace Sternberger

Elgton Jenkins

TiGHT EnD

Jimmy Graham was released from his three-year contract a year early after a 447-yard, three touchdown campaign, meaning rookie tight end Jace Sternberger is likely the team’s starting tight end going into the 2020 season.

Sternberger had an injury-riddled start to his career and spent the beginning of the season on injured reserve before catching his first career touchdown in the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers. Sternberger has improved as a blocker and looks good in the H-back role of LaFleur’s offense, but without Graham as the top tight end in the room, Sternberger will have to make a significant jump in year two.

The Packers did bring back free agent Marcedes Lewis on another one-year contract, so Big Dog is back in Green Bay. His presence in the locker room and on the field as a blocker will be welcomed back at 1265 Lombardi Ave. Lewis got to see the field a lot more under LaFleur. After playing only 18 percent of offensive snaps in 2018, his playing time jumped to 45 percent of offensive snaps in 2019.

Finally, Robert Tonyan will round out the starting trio for the time being, with Evan Baylis returning once again from the practice squad and former defensive tackle James Looney switching positions to enter training camp.

inTEriOr OffEnSiVE linE

The interior of the offensive line got a needed boost in 2019 after the right guard position lacked consistency the previous season. The Packers added Billy Turner in free agency, and he played every snap (1,076) for Green Bay.

At left guard, Lane Taylor injured his biceps early in the season and was replaced by rookie second-round draft pick Elgton Jenkins, who’s now the star of the position for years to come. Jenkins played almost 1,000 snaps for Green Bay and didn’t allow a single sack on Aaron Rodgers. Whether Taylor gets traded or remains with the team as a depth swing guard, he won’t be a starter for the Packers in 2020.

Finally, Corey Linsley once again rounds out a talented interior O-line. The center unfortunately saw his iron man streak end as back spasms forced him to miss the remainder of the Cowboys game in Dallas, though he did start all 16 games for Green Bay.

Lucas Patrick stepped in to replace Linsley and filled in admirably. He’s proven to be a key depth piece for the Packers along the offensive line. In fact, the Packers like him so much they signed him to a contract extension good for two years and $3.6 million.

Justin McCray was traded to the Browns for a conditional seventh round pick in this year’s draft, so the lone guard remaining is Cole Madison, who ended the season on injured reserve.

David Bakhtiari

Kenny Clark

OffEnSiVE TACklE

It finally happened: the Packers said goodbye to nine-year pro right tackle Bryan Bulaga after perhaps his best season to date. After starting all 16 regular-season games for only the second time in his career, Bulaga’s high price tag in free agency forced him out of Green Bay’s price range and he became a Los Angeles Charger.

David Bakhtiari remains the best in the league at the left tackle position, and he played every snap for the Packers in 2019. He was also selected second-team All Pro by the Associated Press for the third time in his career.

Green Bay bolstered its tackle position by adding Jared Veldheer off waivers in late November, and it’s a good thing, too. Veldheer made one playoff start against Seattle in place of an ill Bulaga, and he looked good. In his lone start, Veldheer didn’t allow a single sack, hit or pressure. Veldheer entered free agency alongside Bulaga, which forced the Packers to get creative at the position.

Enter Rick Wagner, most recently right tackle for the Detroit Lions. The Packers gave Wagner a modest two-year contract, indicating the team’s intentions to still draft a replacement right tackle high in the 2020 Draft. Wagner feels like a stop gap between Bulaga and the future at the position, but he’s still a solid player who’s spent the majority of his career at right tackle.

Alex Light, Cody Conway, John Leglue and Yosh Nijman are the current tackles battling for a backup role on offense, with Light, Leglue, and Nijman all latching onto the 53-man roster at different points in 2019.

DEfEnSiVE linE

Kenny Clark continues to shine as the team’s standout lineman, earning his first Pro Bowl selection in 2019. He started every game for the Packers, tallying six sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble, 62 total tackles, nine tackles for a loss and seven quarterback hits in a dominant season, but it’s clear he’ll need some help going into 2020.

The Packers said goodbye to Mike Daniels before the season began and extended Dean Lowry with a three-year contract during training camp. Behind Lowry and Clark, the coaching staff was high on third-year pro Montravius Adams, expecting him to make a leap that never transpired.

While fifth-round draft pick Kingsley Keke is also projected to make an increased contribution in 2020, the Packers need more from their defensive line as a whole.

Tyler Lancaster is a serviceable player as a rotational run-stuffer, but Green Bay needs another true nose tackle to eat up blocks and free Clark up from double teams.

With Clark’s massive contract extension looming, the Packers don’t have a ton of money to spend on a free agent tackle, so it’s likely the team will turn to the draft to shore up one of the team’s weaker units in 2019. An improved run defense would go a long way in fixing the team’s defensive struggles from last season.

Za'Darius Smith

Rashan Gary

OuTSiDE linEbACkEr/EDGE

This is truly where the defense shined in 2019. General Manager Brian Gutekunst hit his free agent signings out of the park, as both Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith had career years in Green Bay.

Za’Darius Smith had 13.5 sacks during the regular season and a whopping 37 quarterback hits (tied for first in the NFL). Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Za’Darius also led the league in disruptions during the regular season with 84. Pro Football Focus gave Za’Darius a grade of 90.8 overall, which is an elite score and a dramatic 180 from the outside linebacker production in 2018. Za’Darius lined up all over for Mike Pettine, rushing from the edge, with his hand in the dirt or over center.

Preston Smith also had double-digit sacks for the Packers, with 12, while adding one interception, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and 56 total tackles with 23 quarterback hits.

The Super Smith Bros, as they’re lovingly referred to, added an additional two sacks apiece during the postseason, giving the duo a combined 29.5 sacks all told in 2019.

Gutekunst wasn’t done there, however, and he spent his first pick in the first round (No. 12) on Rashan Gary out of Michigan. While he was fourth on the depth chart behind Kyler Fackrell, expect Gary to take a massive leap as the team’s third edge rusher with Fackrell departing for the New York Giants in free agency.

Gary only played in 24 percent of the snaps for the defense, but in his limited reps he was impressive. He has the versatility like Za’Darius to line up anywhere along the defensive front to create disruptions. Pro Football Focus credits Gary with three sacks, nine hurries, three quarterback hits and 15 total pressures in 2019.

Randy Ramsey and Greg Roberts are rookie roster holdovers that will compete in training camp along with third-year pro Tim Williams, a talented former Baltimore Raven that’s shown flashes and should be the current favorite for the fourth roster spot.

Christian Kirksey

Chandon Sullivan

inSiDE linEbACkEr

After three full seasons as Green Bay’s starting inside linebacker, the Packers said goodbye to Blake Martinez, who joined the Giants in free agency. Martinez played almost every snap for the Packers during his tenure with the team, meaning there’s a lot to replace at the middle linebacker position.

Roster holdovers Oren Burks and Ty Summers have both looked promising during the preseason and in training camp, but Burks was overlooked for most of the 2019 season in favor of thumper B.J. Goodson (now gone to the Browns in free agency), and Summers played nothing but special teams snaps.

Enter free agent signing Christian Kirksey, an intriguing inside linebacker who, when healthy, has to put together some pretty strong film. The key remains his long-term health. Kirksey has played just nine games in the last two seasons combined.

During his 2016 and 2017 campaigns however, Kirksey put together six sacks, eight passes defensed and 286 total tackles. He also has a history playing for Mike Pettine, which likely contributed to his signing with Green Bay.

Kirksey, like Rick Wagner, got a modest two-year contract that’s a low-risk, high reward deal. If Kirksey remains healthy, he could be a free agent steal. If he gets injured, though, the Packers don’t have a lot of depth in Burks and Summers.

Curtis Bolton is another option currently on the roster who was making a strong bid for a roster spot before tearing his ACL and going on seasonending injured reserve.

COrnErbACk

Jaire Alexander, Kevin King and Tramon Williams were the team’s starting corners in 2019, but with Tramon Williams a free agent this offseason, the Packers are going to need a young corner on the roster to step up.

Alexander remains a talented, scrappy playmaker who broke up 17 passes last season but only managed two interceptions. He played almost every snap for the defense and can line up on the boundary or as a man-to-man nickel corner.

King stayed relatively healthy in 2019 and led the Packers with five interceptions. King will be entering free agency next offseason, so the 2020 season is going to be a big prove-it year. This last season was a promising step for King in his role as a physical boundary corner.

Josh Jackson’s draft pedigree should theoretically make him the likely replacement for Williams, but he’s never been able to live up to his draft stock. Jackson only played 10 percent of defensive snaps for Green Bay this past season while playing a whopping 52 percent on special teams.

Chandon Sullivan was a pleasant surprise for the defense and looked good in the nickel role in certain subpackages. He actually overtook Jackson on the depth chart, playing 34 percent of snaps on defense and snagging one interception against Dallas.

DaShaun Amos, Kabion Ento and sixth-round draft pick Ka’dar Hollman will have opportunities to compete as well during training camp.

Adrian Amos

JK Scott and Mason Crosby

SAfETy

Gutekunst attacked his safety deficiency the same way he attacked his edge rush problem in 2019. After moving on from Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Kentrell Brice, Gutekunst brought in reliable veteran Adrian Amos and paired him with the team’s second first-round pick, Darnell Savage out of Maryland.

The tandem of Amos and Savage brought immediate dependability to a position that had struggled for years. Amos immediately endeared himself to Packers fans after snagging a game-sealing interception from Mitchell Trubisky in Week 1 against the Bears. He’d finish the season with two picks and eight passes defensed along with one sack.

Savage lost two games mid-season to injury, but he bounced back and finished his rookie campaign with two interceptions of his own, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

Behind Amos and Savage, Green Bay returns Raven Greene and Will Redmond. Both players looked solid in their limited snaps, and both give Pettine flexibility if he wants to play a safety in the box.

With only four safeties on the current roster and Ibraheim Campbell a free agent, expect the Packers to look for some additional camp competition.

kiCkEr/PunTEr/lOnG SnAPPEr

Money Mason is back in Green Bay on a three-year contract worth $12.9 million. Crosby converted 91.7 percent of field goals in 2019, his best percentage in his 13-year career. He connected on 22 of 24 field goals and 40 of 41 extra point attempts which more than secured his new contract with the Packers. At 35 years old, Crosby remains the second-longest tenured Packers on the team’s roster behind only Aaron Rodgers.

The punter and long snapper tandem of JK Scott and Hunter Bradley have had another season to develop chemistry with one another. Scott’s 2019 season was almost identical to that of 2018, with 77 punts for 3,386 yards and an average of 44 yards per punt with a long of 66. In 2018, Scott punted 71 times for 3,176 yards with an average of 44.7 yards and a long of 67.

The leg talent is there for Scott, who pinned 33 punts inside the 20-yard line per PFF. Giving the trio a second year under special teams coach Shawn Mennenga and some improved talent on the unit should help Scott continue to develop.

Position Analysis: Rob Reger

Qb

1. Joe burrow, LSU 2. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama 3. Justin Herbert, Oregon 4. Jordan Love, Utah St 5. Jacob Eason, Washington

6. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma 7. Jake Fromm, Georgia 8. Anthony Gordon, Washington St 9. Nate Stanley, Iowa 10. cole McDonald, Hawaii

11. James Morgan, Florida Int 12. Tyler Huntley, Utah 13. Shea patterson, Michigan 14. brian Lewerke, Michigan St 15. Steven Montez, Colorado

16. bryce perkins, Virginia 17. Jake Luton, Oregon St 18. kelly bryant, Missouri 19. kevin Davidson, Princeton 20. Mason Fine, North Texas

JALEN HURTS

SR OKLAHOMA