The Green Bay Packers Preseason has concluded. After three exhibition contests, decisions have to be made. Who will make the team? Who will get cut?
Some may considered the NFL preseason to be unimportant. However, the three exhibition games are key for coaching staffs as they finalize their team’s roster. Not so much the 22 starters and offense and defense, however, as those players have most likely established themselves. Yet there are 31 other roster spots outside of starters, and most of those places are not fully cemented. For the Green Bay Packers, there are still some positional battles to sort out. Here are the Packers Preseason Wrap-Up Thoughts.
Who wins the RB battle?
Before we go too far, let’s just get this out of the way. There is no RB battle for the top spot. Josh Jacobs will be the primary Packers running back this season. That being said, things are not settled behind him on the depth chart.
AJ Dillon was brought back on a one-year contract after completing his rookie deal in Green Bay. Looking at Dillon’s size and stature, you’d expect that he would be an good short-yardage back. However, his poor vision and lack of initial burst have not allowed Dillon to excel at the goal-line. In all likelihood, Jacobs will be the desired red zone rusher. Instead, Dillon may have to carve out a role as a passing-down specialist. Dillon is actually the only running back of the Packers roster with a receiving touchdown in his career.
That being said, Dillon’s contract has no guaranteed money counting against the salary cap. So Green Bay could release the veteran without any dead cap. Much easier to get rid of Dillon’s contract then that of a rookie third rounder, like MarShawn Lloyd. The nature of Lloyd’s four-year rookie deal, ensures that he will most likely make the Packers’ final roster. His role in 2024 remains a question. The team may want to take things slow with Lloyd.
That brings us to Emanuel Wilson. Last season, Wilson excelled in the preseason, but failed to make the initial 53-man roster. However, he was called up for five regular-season games, and both post-season matchups. Wilson has a good initial burst, with enough athleticism to make plays in the NFL. After impressing in training camp, as well as back-to-back preseasons, Wilson has a chance to make Green Bay’s squad right out of the gate in 2024.
A new look for the Green Bay Packers defense
The 2024 season will mark the first with Jeff Hafley as the Packers defensive coordinator. What will his new defense look like?
First, the base setup has changed from a 3-4 to a 4-3 front seven. Previous iterations of the unit had linebackers like Rashan Gary and Preston Smith playing on the line at times. Now, this new defense will place the primary edge rushers at the defensive end spots.
However, there is more concern with the interior of the line. What happens when Kenny Clark is not on the field? There is always a possibility of getting hurt in a football game. But Clark has remained relatively healthy with only seven missed games combined in eight seasons. Arguably, the bigger concern is the fact that defensive lineman rarely even play three-quarters of their team’s defensive snaps. In the past, whenever Clark has rotated out, that is when opposing offenses typically break of big runs.
How did the Packers defense fare without Clark in the preseason? It’s really a mixed bag.
Against the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay only allowed 10 points, and held them without a touchdown for the first 54 minutes of the game. However, the Browns were not playing any of their starters.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Denver Broncos gave the starters a decent amount of first-half reps. In this most recent preseason match, the Packers defense allowed 27 points. Each of the three Broncos quarterbacks produced a touchdown.
As this new defense is still coming together under Hafley, there may be some early growing pains. Can Hafley figure out how to avoid the quality drop when Clark is not on the field? If so, then that will go a long way to making the unit more consistent.
