Connect with us

Features

Green Bay Packers Offensive Report Card

Offensive Report Card

This offensive report card will feature each offensive position group featuring starters and depth of the Green Bay Packers roster and giving them a grade. These grades should give insight for what the team needs to upgrade over the off-season.

Season Summary

The Packers have to look at the season as a disappointment. They committed huge money to retaining Aaron Rodgers and it only led them to an 8-9 record and missing the playoffs for the first time in Matt LeFleur’s tenure as coach. The team started by winning 3 of their first 4 games, then losing 7 of 8, and finishing by winning 4 of their last 5. Unfortunately they lost to the Detroit Lions in the season finally in a ‘play and you’re in’ game. This should be a very interesting offseason for the green and gold.

Quarterback

Over the past 30 years, the Green Bay Packers have always had outstanding quarterback play. And while this year wasn’t bad by any stretch, it wasn’t what Packer fans are accustomed to seeing. Rodgers was coming off back to back MVP seasons, but didn’t perform like that this year. A career worst in passing yards (in a full season of play), and a TD:INT ratio of 26:12. However, as you’ll see from my receiver grade, Rodgers was hampered by possibly the worst WR unit in the league.

There is a lot of talk again about Rodgers and the Packers parting ways. This will be a tall task considering the dead money the Packers will absorb in 2023 is about $40M. An important date to keep in mind is June 1st. The team would benefit by trading Rodgers after June 1st because the cap hit for 2023 will only be $15.8M (not $40M). About $24.5M in dead money would be pushed to 2024. It seems like a lot of money to take on to not have the guy on the roster. However, the team is more confident in Jordan Love than last year and they could be ready to move on, regardless of the financial implications.

Grade: B

Running Back

An interesting year for the running backs as well. Aaron Jones looked as good as ever. He ran for over 1,000 yards and was the primary threat on offense for most of the year. AJ Dillon, on the other hand, hadd a disappointing year. He looked slower and didn’t seem to break tackles as well as his first two years. The team will look for him to get back on track next year. Look for the team to add another RB or two in the off-season to add competition. Both players are under contract for one more year and with Jones’ age and Dillon’s decline in play, the Packers could look for a reboot at the position in 2024.

Grade: B-

Wide Receiver

Easily the worst unit on offense. The Packers drafted Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs in the 2022 Draft, and they looked like rookies. Any evidence of such can be found on the Packer’s first offensive play of the year. It took about mid season but Watson started to turn it around and make some big plays. With that said, his route running and understanding of the offense still seemed to be an issue. Doubs was the more consistent of the two rookies but never broke out of his shell. When Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are your two best receivers, and you have no 1,000 yard receivers, you receive a poor grade. Packer fans better hope this unit develops faster for year two.

Grade: D+

Tight End

Another position that could use an influx in talent. Robert Tonyan hasn’t had the same impact on the team since before his ACL injury. He is a free agent this offseason and it would be best to look for an upgrade at the position. Marcedes Lewis has been in the league forever and is primarily used as a 6th blocker, but is a reliable target when Rodgers needs someone. With that said, he doesn’t have a lot of time left in his career. Which is another reason to look for a more permanent replacement. Mike Giesecki and Dalton Schultz mark the top of the free agency market and the draft has about 3 prospects that are worthy of a 1st round selection.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

The Packers have always had a solid offensive line. This past year was no exception. As a unit, they had one of the lowest sack rates in the league and were solid run blockers. LT David Bakhtiari was coming off a severe knee injury two years ago but is still their best tackle when he’s available. Nijman and Tom are capable RT and back up options. Nijman is a free agent and may command a bigger salary elsewhere. The interior line was solidified when Jenkins moved to LG. Expect this unit to remain mostly intact for next year, with maybe a few late round picks for depth.

Grade: B+

Overall

The offensive unit for the Green Bay Packers struggled this season, but started to see some progression out of their young players as the season progressed. Overall, they were 17th in total yards in the league – which is right in the middle of the pack. With that said, this team has a lot of developing to do in the offseason if they are going to make significant strides. They need to add more veteran talent at WR (but we say that every year). The biggest question is will Rodgers be on the team? Green Bay cannot continue down this path year after year, especially if they still see Jordan Love in their future.

Grade: C+

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured Articles

Featured Writers

More in Features