Four Biggest Battles of Packers OTAs: Offense

Green Bay Packers OTAs are starting this week. Who will be the starting receivers? That's among the big battles to watch.

Christian Watson at Packers OTAs in 2023. / MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

GREEN BAY, Wis. – No starting jobs will be won during the four weeks of offseason practices that begin with the first day of Green Bay Packers OTAs on Monday.

However, strong performances during these spring workouts can serve as a springboard into training camp and the preseason.

Here are four battles worth watching on offense with the start of OTAs.

Receivers: Romeo Doubs vs. Christian Watson vs. Dontayvion Wicks

Grab a marker to write in Jayden Reed as the team’s slot receiver. But who will be the primary perimeter receivers? Obviously, this is not a winner-takes-all battle. If Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson emerge as the starters, it’s not as if Dontayvion Wicks or even Bo Melton aren’t going to play. There are injuries, breathers and skill-set-driven packages that will get all the receivers on the field.

Doubs hadn’t had a single 100-yard game in his career until roasting the Cowboys for six receptions, 151 yards and two touchdowns in the wild-card round. His 83 yards a week later against San Francisco is the third-best mark of his career. Watson, who finally started rolling before he injured his hamstring against the Chiefs, needs to show he can stay healthy and stack one day after another. As a rookie, Wicks had a pair of 90-yard games during the second half of the season and three touchdowns in his last two games.

“Every day’s a little bit different and you put guys in different positions to be able to see what they can handle, but they get plenty of opportunities out there on the practice field to be able to showcase what they can do,” receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey said.

Running Back: AJ Dillon vs. MarShawn Lloyd

Josh Jacobs is going to be the lead dog in the new backfield. Who will be the primary backup?

It’s interesting to recall 2020. With veterans Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams atop the depth chart, rookie second-round pick AJ Dillon barely played. With Jacobs and Dillon the veterans in the room, will rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd have to bide his time, as well?

“I would like to get him out there as much as possible,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said.

RELATED: Protecting the OTA depth charts

With Jones injured for a big portion of last year, the Packers needed Dillon to rise to the occasion. Instead, he averaged a career-worst 3.4 yards per carry. However, Lloyd has a history of fumbling that must be fixed by position coach Ben Sirmans.

Tight End: Luke Musgrave vs. Tucker Kraft

Just like at receiver, this will not be a winner-takes-all battle. Second-year players Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are going to play a lot, and often together.

However, like most teams, the Packers will line up in a lot of three-receiver sets. More likely than not, one of the tight ends will emerge as the primary player. Last year, that player was Musgrave. It wasn’t until Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney that Kraft got ample playing time – and he took full advantage of it.

Musgrave’s size, speed and downfield prowess should jump to the forefront during the no-pads spring practices. Kraft’s physicality and run-after-catch ability won’t stand out until training camp.

Offensive Line: Jordan Morgan vs. (Almost) Everyone

If the Packers were going to play the Eagles today, they’d feel good about the starting five of Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom. Rhyan is the big question mark, obviously, but the coaches wouldn’t have kept rotating Rhyan and veteran Jon Runyan during the second half of last season if Rhyan weren’t growing and performing.

The Packers used their first-round pick on Morgan, a three-year starting left tackle at Arizona. Morgan played left tackle at rookie camp and presumably will get a long look there in a potential battle against Walker. In college, Morgan did not play on the right side and he did not play guard, so any other position is pure projection.

However, the Packers didn’t use their No. 1 pick to get a backup left tackle. At some point, Morgan is going to play. Will he nudge aside Walker? Will he transition naturally to the right side? These noncontact practices will provide the perfect training ground for Morgan to master the fundamentals without fear of a catastrophic blunder.

“The way he glides and moves on the field right now, just that athleticism that he shows, it’s pretty cool to see,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said.

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