ESPN Ranks NFL Rosters; Where Are Packers?

Given all the youth on offense, the Green Bay Packers are a team mystery as they head into training camp.

Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur in 2021 (Photo by Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A new starting quarterback throwing passes. A bunch of young players catching those passes. A defense with a lot of talent but even more to prove.

That’s the Green Bay Packers entering the 2023 season.

With the start of training camp less than a month away, ESPN.com’s Mike Clay and Seth Walder ranked all 32 teams’ rosters. A team with a high ceiling but a low floor, the Packers checked in at No. 23. That puts them in the NFC North basement.

Clay and Walder picked the strongest and weakest units, the X-factor and the “nonstarter to know” for every team. Green Bay’s weakness is its lack of established pass-catchers.

As we’ve pointed out, absence of experience and proven production doesn’t mean absence of talent. With three receivers drafted in 2022, three receivers drafted in 2023 and two tight ends drafted in 2023, the Packers are surrounding new starting quarterback Jordan Love with the youngest fleet of receivers and tight ends in the NFL.

Maybe they’ll be the equivalent of Aaron Rodgers, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley.

“I think we’ve got a great team,” Love said at the end of minicamp. “I think we have a good offense, a young offense. We have a lot of work to keep putting in, keep building together, and I think we have a really good defense. Once we get everybody back and healthy, we’ll be really good.”

If Love is good and finds a quick harmony with the likes of second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and rookie tight end Luke Musgrave, the Packers could rebound and win the NFC North. If not, the Packers could be staring at their first last-place finish in the division since 2005.

What should give the Packers hope is the overall weakness of the NFC North. The Detroit Lions, who are the betting favorites to win the division, are 16th in the ESPN roster rankings. The Minnesota Vikings, the defending division champions, are 17th. The Chicago Bears, who had the worst record in the NFL last season at 3-14, traded the No. 1 overall pick and invested heavily in their defense to move up to 22nd.

Click here for the full story, including the identity of the Packers’ strength and X-factor as well as the other rankings.

Countdown to Packers Training Camp

Can the #Packers go from out of the playoffs to winning the division? The NFL's recent history delivers a loud and obvious answer.https://t.co/vRT41LARKB

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 29, 2023

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