GREEN BAY − It’s more than a month until the Green Bay Packers hit the practice field July 29 for the start of training camp.
This Packers team will be far from a finished product after camp as some key players − namely Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Zach Tom and Devonte Wyatt − will need to get fully healthy.
While camp and preseason won’t tell you everything you need to know about this team, there are some key areas to keep an eye on after they hit Ray Nitschke Field.
Here are four things to monitor during camp:
Will the Packers offensive line be more consistent?
When Jordan Love has a clean pocket to pass in, he’s one of the league’s better quarterbacks. The key, however, is a clean pocket.
The Packers have invested a lot to improve the play of the offensive line over the past couple of seasons, including signing high-price veteran Aaron Banks, and drafting Anthony Belton and Jager Burton.
Due to injuries and inconsistent play, the offensive line has struggled. While there’s optimism within the organization that unit will perform better, they still must prove it.
Tom is one guy there’s complete confidence in. When healthy, he’s one of the better right tackles in the NFL. Staying healthy is key.
As for the rest, it starts with Jordan Morgan at left tackle. The 2024 first-round draft pick has the chance to prove he’s the left tackle of the future. Rasheed Walker failed to do that, which is why the Packers let him walk during free agency.
Morgan showed promise when he played left tackle during last preseason, but the question is how will he handle it full time? Jumping ahead, he will be severely tested when the Packers face Myles Garrett and the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 25.
“I’m excited about him being over there. I thought last year, he showed flashes of being able to be a good left tackle in this league when we had him out there,” Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said last month. “Just excited to get him, get him comfortable playing on the edge and protecting the blind side. Just him owning that position and be the best version of himself.”
For the rest of the unit, it will be interesting to see if Banks can stay healthy and perform better, and if Sean Rhyan and Belton continue to grow at center and right guard.
Also, depth is something to keep an eye on. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said during OTAs that Burton, a 2026 fifth-round draft pick, will have a chance to play. He’s one player who can’t be ruled out being a key piece to the line, whether as a backup or a starter.
“I see a really young guy that’s extremely coachable, athletic, and is maximizing the most of his opportunities,” LaFleur said. “So I think every practice he gets a little bit more comfortable, a little bit better, and I can see him, he’s definitely going to be in the mix to compete for playing time this year.”
In order for this offense to reach its potential, it comes down to the trenches.
What will the Packers defense look like under Jonathan Gannon?
Let’s be clear. We won’t know a whole lot about this defense after camp and preseason. We might not have a real idea of what this group will be like until halfway through the season, especially when Parsons is back in the mix.
With new faces and talented returners, it’ll be interesting to see how Jonathan Gannon handles the defense with his 3-4 scheme.
Big questions:
With the front line, where will the pass rush come from without Parsons? Lukas Van Ness shows glimpses, but has lacked consistency. Barryn Sorrell enters his second year. Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby have limited experience, and rookie fourth-round draft pick Dani Dennis-Sutton was a strong pass rusher at Penn State and showed potential during camp − albeit without pads.
For the interior pass rush and run defense, they have veterans Javon Hargrave, Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks.
How will the cornerback group perform? Keisean Nixon is one starter on the outside, but who is the other? The Packers signed sixth-year pro Benjamin St-Juste this offseason, so it’s likely he’ll get the first crack at it. After that, how will rookie second-round draft pick Brandon Cisse and Carrington Valentine fit it?
Among the returning players that shined in Jeff Hafley’s defense – Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams and Edgerrin Cooper, to name a few – it’ll be crucial for Gannon to utilize them.
Is the kicking game in good hands with a rookie?
The Packers will put their faith in a rookie kicker again. Take a deep breath, Packer fans.
Historically, it hasn’t been kind. Anders Carlson didn’t work out. Brayden Narveson didn’t work out.
Let’s see if the third time is the charm with sixth-round draft pick Trey Smack.
The Packers moved on from veteran Brandon McManus in order to Smack to get as many reps as possible.
As PackersNews colleague Ryan Wood wrote, Smack has worked with some of the NFL’s great kickers but must master kicking in cold-weather conditions to be the guy.
The Packers have an insurance policy waiting with Lucas Havrisik if Smack struggles, but all eyes will be on the former Florida star.
Will MarShawn Lloyd get (and stay) on the field?
MarShawn Lloyd is the player Packers fans ask about more than almost any other player on the team.
The third-year running back has a grand total of 10 snaps, six carries for 15 yards and one reception for three yards, in two seasons. All of those stats came from one game in Week 2 in the 2024 season.
Lloyd has battled so many injuries over his two seasons, the term “injury bug” might be too small to describe the start to his NFL career.
Lloyd said he’s in a great spot and feels healthy after spending time at the Meyer Institute of Sport in Southern California to address all of the soft-tissue, lower-body issues he’s battled.
The explosiveness was still very apparent during the team’s non-padded practices this offseason, but it comes down to if he comes out of camp healthy and plays this season.
As of now, it’s unclear if Josh Jacobs will face any disciplinary action after his domestic-abuse arrest in May (he has not been charged), but whether Lloyd has to be a starting running back or a backup, the Packers need his playmaking on the field.
“The proof is in the pudding,” LaFleur said about Lloyd. “He’s got to show it consistently over the course of all of OTAs, into training camp, into the preseason and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Four things to watch, including MarShawn Lloyd, when Packers start camp
Reporting by Dominique Yates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Packers News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dominique Yates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
