Following the Aaron Rodgers-Jets trade, the Jordan Love era has officially begun. This is an exciting new beginning for Packers fans, as the team still has multiple star talents, and the high-end offensive coaching remains the same. Jordan Love was a fascinating and promising prospect coming out, and it’s lovely we’ll finally see him play. He’s stepping into an ideal situation as the pass-pro is phenomenal in Green Bay. Matt LaFleur isn’t coming off a strong season but is a proven quality offensive mind.
The team obviously will regress without Rodgers, but if things go their way, don’t be surprised to see them pushing for the playoffs. I expect this defense to return to having a stellar pass rush and for this coverage unit to feed off it. Green Bay did a fine job replenishing it’s depleted receiving core in this past draft. I love how they found two bonafide Tight Ends who can start day one. It may seem gloomy without Rodgers, but with a lot of youth, this franchise is headed in a positive direction.

I watched all-22 footage on every team and reconciled it with advanced stats such as PFF. Based on film and stats, I develop grades for every position by using a formula that takes into account every player on the depth chart. Shout out to TFG for inspiring this kind of content. Please use code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Gamble responsibly and leave your feedback on Twitter @FBIntellect.

Grading scale: 20-100.

(+): The player is expected to improve.

Team Overview

Coaching Staff

Matt LaFleur is one of the few coaches with a long resume of success using the wide zone offense. Many young offensive coordinators who run this scheme have popped up lately. However, LaFleur has been killing it with this scheme going back to 2019. This philosophy and principles from this scheme step back from Kyle Shanahan and his father. The idea of the scheme is to stretch the field horizontally in the run game and feed off that with play-action and misdirection. It works tremendously at minimizing the processor of the QB while capitalizing on their arm talent and intermediate accuracy. The scheme is perfect for Love, and it’s exciting to see him get paired with one of the brightest offensive minds around.
Joe Barry is one of the many Fangio disciples who refuses to evolve his defensive system. He runs a 3-4 Split Safety defense with heavy quarters and cover-six. When you use quarters and cover-six appropriately, it can work like a charm. Although when overused, it allows the offense to attack the middle of the field, which is left wide open in cover-six and quarters. Barry also likes to play dime sets heavily, leaving the defense vulnerable to the run game. Coordinators like Barry are the primary reason a defense struggles even with incredible personnel. Green Bay would have a top-ten defense if it weren’t for Barry. He should’ve been fired already and will continue to hinder the team until he’s replaced.

Offense

Overall Offense – 78.4 (22nd)

Before the draft, this offense looked in rough shape, but they did what they needed to do to get it best suited for Love. There is a wide range of possibilities that can happen with this offense. Either Jordan Love and his playmakers develop and mesh well together, or they all stagnate and become one of the worst offenses in the league. Because so many players on this offense are unproven, it’s challenging to say where they’ll be by the end of the year. One sure thing is that this pass-pro will be the best in the league when fully healthy. There isn’t even a close second, and it’s only a matter of whether they can stay healthy.
Bakhtiari and Tom are two rocks at Tackle, and Elgton Jenkins is an all-pro level Guard. There is also quality depth on the O-line. We also know Green Bay will have an exceptional backfield, as Jones and Dillon are a deadly one-two combo. Christian Watson is a questionable number one, but he could also take a massive step up this year. Musgrave is unproven but has elite potential, and Kraft is a dependable day-one starter. Overall the receiving core could be much worse off, but you can’t deny it’s one of the league’s worst. I have faith in Love, but he must rank this low until we see him prove he has it. It’ll be an exciting experience to see how he fares in year one.

Defense

Overall Defense – 80.7 (17th)

The overall talent on this defense is quite incredible. I have no doubts this defense won’t elevate the team, but will it carry them to the playoffs? That could all be more possible if it weren’t for Joe Barry, but unfortunately, I have to take him into account. This will still be a defense you’d rather not face on Sunday. Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark are outstanding presences in the pass rush. Clark is also one of the best-run defenders in the league. The exciting thing about this D-Line is that both Van Ness and Wyatt have legit potential. Van Ness won’t be a full-time starter this year, but expect him to slowly develop a name for himself. Until Van Ness is fully ready, Preston Smith is a stud pass rusher to rely on.
Jaire Alexander is coming off a down year but is still unarguably one of the best DBs in the game. His quickness, instincts, and versatility are world-class. You can expect to see a combination of him and Douglas in the slot. Losing Adrian Amos was a massive blow, but Ford is a serviceable replacement. Anthony Johnson Jr. is also a quality addition they got for exceptional value. Despite the poor coaching, this will be a highly dangerous defense that’ll be fun to watch.

Packers Schedule

Total Win Projection – 7.4