The Green Bay Packers are heading into the 2022 NFL season with a deep and talented roster. Most NFL experts expect the Packers to be contenders again this coming season and to have a chance to reach the Super Bowl.
One reason for the high expectations is that Green Bay has elite talent at many positions. Here is a look at four position groups that the Packers may have the best group of starters in the league at. If they aren’t the best, they are certainly in the conversation.
Keep in mind this analysis only includes starters and does not take backups or depth players into consideration.
- Safety
The Packers have two starting safeties who may be as good as any in the league. Adrian Amos is a smart, steady and reliable player who gives the Packers leadership in the locker room and strong play on the field. Amos is not a big play machine but you don’t always notice him because he is rarely out of position and almost never burned badly.
Darnell Savage makes more spectacular plays but isn’t as consistent as Amos. Savage had an outstanding second half to the 2020 season but didn’t match that production last year as he adjusted to Joe Barry’s defense.
Look for Amos and Savage to give the Packers a strong duo who should take a step forward in their second year in the Packers current defensive system.
- Running Back
The Packers have a great top duo at the running back position and they each bring something different to the table.
Aaron Jones is a quick, one-cut back who is a threat to break off a long gain any time he touches the football. He has the speed to get to the edge and good vision. Jones is a two-time 1,000-yard rusher who has a career average of 5.1-yards per attempt.
He is complimented by A.J. Dillon, the 6’, 247-pound owner of the largest quads of any running back in the league. The former Boston College star led the Packers in 2021 with 803 yards rushing. Dillon is a big back who excels between the tackles and it very tough to tackle one-on-one.
Both of the Packers starting backs are capable of gaining 1,000 yards rushing in a season if they get enough carries and both are dangerous receivers coming out of the backfield.
This thunder and lightning duo give the Packers one of the top running back rooms in the NFL.
- Cornerback
With Jaire Alexander healthy and signed to a new extension, the Packers now have a trio of cornerbacks who are as good as any in the league. Alexander and second-year man Eric Stokes both have elite speed that allows them to recover when they make mistakes. Alexander is a true shutdown corner while Stokes has the ability to get there with a little more experience.
Last year, GM Brian Gutekunst found a diamond in the rough in Rasul Douglas who the Packers signed off the Cardinals practice squad when Alexander was injured in Week 4. Douglas doesn’t have the speed of his other two teammates, but he is smart and uses film study and experience to put himself into the right position to make plays. He is also the biggest ball hawk of the three who is the most likely to make interceptions.
The trio has the potential to be even better in 2022 with Alexander healthy again and Stokes capable of taking a step forward in his second NFL season.
- Quarterback
When you have the two-time reigning NFL MVP at quarterback, it’s tough to argue that you don’t have one of the best starting QBs in the league.
Over the last two seasons, Rodgers has returned to being one of the best players in the game. He has thrown 85 touchdowns and just nine interceptions in the last two seasons while throwing for 8,414 yards.
Rodgers is accurate, has the arm strength to make all the necessary throws and rarely turns the ball over.
A-Rod will have some adjustments to make with Davante Adams no longer with the team. The duo had unique chemistry and Rodgers always relied on Adams in key situations. But he has been successful in the past when Adams was out with injuries and figures to spread the ball around more in 2022.
At 39, he remains an elite NFL quarterback and his presence in the lineup gives the Packers a realistic chance to win any game he starts.
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
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