Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Packers Training Camp

Green Bay Packers training camp is here. What happens on the practice field will set the tone for what they believe could be a Super season.

Bill Huber | Jul 21, 2024

Jordan Love and Christian Watson celebrate a Packers touchdown vs. the Chargers. / Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The first practice of Green Bay Packers training camp will be held on Monday. For more than a month, the Packers will work toward beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, dethroning the Detroit Lions in the NFC North and finally making their triumphant return to the Super Bowl.

What would be a good training camp? A bad training camp? Here are the best- and worst-case scenarios.

Best Case: New Contract, Same Jordan Love

The worst-case scenario for the season, and the short-term future of the franchise, is Jordan Love’s standard of play is a bit too close to the first half of his debut season and a bit too far from the second half.

Love’s contract extension is inevitable. Whether it’s four or five years, it’s going to be worth more than $50 million per season. That’s franchise-shifting money. The Packers, obviously, are betting that Love is going to be as sensational as he was down the stretch last year.

If Love’s strong set of offseason practices carries into August and beyond, the Packers will be in good hands. The fuse for an explosive passing game must be lit during training camp.

Worst Case: Oh-Oh

Love’s contract extension is inevitable, indeed, but nobody can afford for talks to drag too far into training camp. The Packers left minicamp openly talking about the Super Bowl. They can’t afford to let anything get in the way.

Then, there’s the obvious fear: Love might become the highest-paid player in NFL history by average salary. What if he’s only mediocre? What if he throws too many interceptions against Jeff Hafley’s defense? Against the Broncos and Ravens during joint practices? During whatever consists of his preseason?

Best Case: Healthy Christian Watson

Green Bay’s passing game could be tremendous. During the final eight games of the regular season, Love ranked first in touchdowns vs. interceptions, second in passer rating and third in completion percentage. Love didn’t throw passes to himself. He is surrounded by promising and productive young players.

Nobody is more promising than Watson. He is a big play waiting to happen. A potential touchdown every time he gets the ball. Even his mere presence on the field should provide easier opportunities for his teammates.

That Watson participated in every practice of the offseason was a great step. He’ll be ready to roll for Day 1 of camp. If he can build throughout July and August so he’s at his best for September, a good offense could become great.

Worst Case: More Tears Than Sweat

Training camp is about blood, sweat and tears. What if there is too much blood and too many tears?

Injuries are the wild card for every team. There’s a new training staff and new warmup routine, but there’s only so much a coach can do in a violent sport.

What if Watson and cornerback Eric Stokes can’t stay healthy? What if right tackle Zach Tom’s pectoral injury leaves him at less than full strength for Week 1? What if the Injury Bug takes too many bites out of a specific position group?

Best Case: Rookie Studs

The Packers used their second-round picks on linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and safety Javon Bullard. If they play up to expectations, they will fix two of the biggest holes on defense.

Cooper and Quay Walker could provide two of the rangiest linebackers in the NFL. Bullard and veteran Xavier McKinney could turn one of the worst safety groups in the NFL into one of the best.

Worst Case: Backfield Duds

The Packers replaced explosive running back Aaron Jones with 2022 NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs. Then, they re-signed AJ Dillon and used a third-round pick on MarShawn Lloyd.

Surrounded by a better passing game and running behind a better offensive line, Jacobs should be much better in 2024 than he was in 2023. But what if 2022 was the pinnacle of his career, and the Raiders used up his best days during a 400-touch season?

What if Dillon is the same player he was last year, when he was stunningly feeble in terms of breaking tackles and gaining yards after contact? And what if Lloyd is the same fumble-prone player he was at the USCs (South Carolina and Southern Cal)?

Love was at his best last season when Jones was at his best. That recipe must be replicated.

Best Case: Swag on Offense

In 2011, Green Bay’s offense scored the second-most points in NFL history. Aaron Rodgers delivered his first MVP season, and the pass-catching group was so good that rookie Randall Cobb finished seventh on the team in receptions.

Love played at an MVP level down the stretch last year, and the receiving group might have the same sort of depth.

With all that talent, what are the expectations on offense?

“Our expectation is to win a Super Bowl,” Watson said. “Regardless of where we were at last season at this point, I think that individually our goal was the same: to win a Super Bowl. Obviously, it becomes more of a reality the more you have success on the football field. So, as we were getting going last year, it was definitely becoming more realistic for us to make that run. Obviously, we came up short, but our goal this year definitely is to make it to that big game.”

If Green Bay’s offense is dominant and if its defense is at least feisty and opportunistic, this could be a Super season.

Worst Case: Doubts on Defense

Everyone’s got a plan until they’re punched in the face.

That’s what Mike Tyson, when at the height of his powers, famously said.

The Packers raved about Hafley’s defensive plan throughout the offseason. The defensive line is ready to attack and pile up sacks and tackles for losses. The cornerbacks are looking forward to playing aggressively and making plays.

It all sounds great. A tackle for loss on first-and-10 creates an interception on third-and-long. But what if the Packers aren’t tough enough? What if they’re overwhelmed by the mighty offensive lines of the Eagles and Lions? What if there aren’t enough defensive backs to cover the prolific passing games on the schedule?

The tone will need to be set during training camp.

“My mindset is coming back 1 percent better so we can have the season that we want, and that’s to be a championship team and go to the Super Bowl and hold the Lombardi,” defensive end Rashan Gary said. “That’s our goal and the main thing.”

More Green Bay Packers News

A couple #Packers roster projections ahead of Practice 1 on Monday.
From @JacobWestendorf: https://t.co/fMCP3jHots
And myself: https://t.co/IL1Q34gR7g
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 21, 2024

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Published Jul 21, 2024

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.