The Green Bay Packers enter training camp in 2024 as a team on a mission. Last year, they surprised many people by making the playoffs despite having one of the youngest rosters in the league. But they finished strong and made the playoffs with a 9-8 record. Now, the team will be looking to build on last year’s finish and hope to contend for a Super Bowl. Here are the three biggest questions facing the Green Bay Packers defense as training camp gets under way:

Biggest Questions for the Packers Defense Number Three: Who Starts Opposite Jaire Alexander at CB?

If healthy, Jaire Alexander will be the Packers number coverage corner. But who starts on the perimeter opposite him?

The leading candidates are former first round pick Eric Stokes and second-year man, Carrington Valentine.

Stokes has played only three games over the last season and a half due to an assortment of injuries. The Packers are hoping he returns to the form he showed in his rookie season of 2021. He has outstanding speed but needs to do a better job of tracking the ball in the air.

The Packers sent him to a hamstring specialist to see if they can keep him healthy and on the field this season. The coaching staff said he looked good at OTAs so that was a start to his potential comeback.

Valentine surprised a lot of people by stepping in as a starter when injuries struck, and he showed potential. Valentine put on some weight this offseason at the request of the coaching staff and looked good at OTAs.

The winner of this battle will play a larger role in the defense and has the first chance to advance their career.

Question Number Two: How Much Do the Rookies Contribute?

There are a few rookies who are likely to start on defense this season, perhaps as soon as Week 1. The question is how big a role will these rookies play in their first season in the NFL.

Second round picks Javon Bullard and Edgerrin Cooper are the most likely players to start early. Bullard is the favorite to start as safety opposite Xavier McKinney while Cooper will battle Isaiah McDuffie for the second starting linebacker spot alongside Quay Walker.

But other draft picks like linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and defensive backs Evan Williams, Kitan Oladapo, and Kalen King could also see time on defense if they pick up the defense quickly and play well.

The Packers are relying on these young players to contribute to improve the defense.

Biggest Questions for the Packers Defense Number One: How Quickly Does the Team Adjust to Jeff Hafley’s System?

The Packers hired Jeff Hafley to replace Joe Barry as defensive coordinator. The team will not play a four-man front rather than three. The defense will also be more aggressive and less read and react.

But how quickly will the Packers players adjust to the new system? And how well will they adjust? The defense should be better later in the season after the players are completely comfortable with Hafley’s plans.

Hopefully, Hafley’s new defense plays to the strengths of the players on the roster more than Barry’s did. Too often, players who were better at press coverage were giving far too much cushion in pass coverage, for example.

The defense also needs to be better against the run. Will the new system which is based more on penetrating at the line of scrimmage finally help the run defense improve?

The quicker the new defense becomes second nature to the players, the better it will become. That gives the Packers a chance to improve the team significantly over a season ago when the defense struggled with consistency and allowed offenses to convert too many third-and-long situations.

 

 

 

Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

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