The Green Bay Packers face more uncertainty entering the 2023 season than they’ve had in many years. The offense has a new quarterback in Jordan Love and a receiving corps and tight end group that is young and inexperienced. There is a lot of talent on the offense, but a lot of questions as well. Here are the three biggest questions facing the Green Bay Packers offense:

Packers Offense Question Number Three: Can the Offensive Line Find Stability?

Head coach Matt LaFleur has indicated the team will start the five best offensive linemen. The team has players who can play multiple positions, so this is possible. Two major things must happen for this to work and for the team to get stability along the offensive line.

First, the Packers need left tackle David Bakhtiari to stay healthy. Bakhtiari played in just one game in 2021 and missed six games in 2022. Complications from a knee injury were the initial issue. Bakhtiari missed some games early in the 2022 schedule but played at a high level when he returned to the lineup. Later in the season, he missed four more games due to an emergency appendectomy.

Keeping Bakhtiari healthy and available upgrades the offense significantly. He remains one of the elite pass blocking offensive tackles in the game. Having Bakhtiari there to protect Love’s blindside will help the team evaluate Love properly.

The other factor that will impact the stability on the offensive line is the battle for the starting right tackle position. The top candidates to start right now are second-year man Zach Tom and Yosh Nijman.

Once that battle is decided, the starting five should fall into place and the offensive line can work on creating chemistry and continuity.

Question Number Two: Does the Team Need More Experienced Players at WR and TE?

The Packers currently feature 11 wide receivers on their 90-man roster but none of them have more than one year of NFL experience. The three most experienced wideouts on the roster are last year’s draft picks, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure.

The tight end position is also expected to have rookies playing a large role. Second-round pick Luke Musgrave and third round selection Tucker Kraft are expected to get most of the reps at the traditional tight end spot while Josiah Deguara will continue to be the fullback/H-back.

Gone from last year’s team are Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb at receiver and Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis at tight end.

Will any of the second-year receivers step up and make a big jump in year two? The team is hoping Love and the young receiving corps will develop and grow together. But does the team need to add a more experienced player at tight end or wide receiver to mentor this young group? And what happens if the young receivers aren’t ready for big roles in the offense?

There will be growing pains at wide receiver and tight end. The key question becomes if they are at an acceptable level early and if they are less of a problem as the season progresses.

Packers Offense Question Number One: Is Jordan Love the Answer?

The biggest question facing the Packers offense (and the Packers franchise) this season is whether Jordan Love is the next long-term starting quarterback for this team.

Love doesn’t need to be a Hall of Famer like his two predecessors, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers, but he needs to be at least good enough to get this team to win consistently.

Through his first three seasons, Love handled a difficult situation well. He had to be a part of the team without stepping on Rodgers’ toes as the undisputed starter. Love worked on his footwork and his ability to read defenses. The coaching staff wanted to see him show more confidence and last season, he genuinely seemed to do that.

This offseason, he worked hard and even spent time running passing camps with his receivers and running backs on his own, something the team wished Rodgers would have done last offseason.

There will be growing pains for Love just like Rodgers had in 2008 and Favre in 1992. But will Love show enough ability and promise to be the Packers signal caller for the long haul? That’s the biggest question facing the 2023 Packers offense.

 

 

Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

Click here for more great Packers coverage