Grading Packers’ Depth at Every Position Group

Looking beyond the starters, here are the position groups that are strong and the units that could use a veteran addition.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In Joe Barry’s world, there are starters and there are starters in waiting.

“Football’s a tough, physical, violent sport played by tough men,” the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator said at the start of the offseason. “It’s wonderful when you can go wire to wire in a season and play every snap, play every game. But, realistically, there’s going to be a guy that’s going to miss some time.

“We don’t coach backups. We have starters and we have starters-in-waiting. When you approach your players that way and then the player takes it that way, he doesn’t look at himself as a backup because in this league. You are literally one snap away from being a starter.”

The have high-quality starters at just about every position. But how about their starters-in-waiting?

By sheer volume, the Packers weren’t especially injured last season. By the quality of player that was injured, the Packers were hammered.

According to Man Games Lost, only the Ravens were hit harder by injuries than the Packers. In terms of individual injuries, left tackle David Bakhtiari was the most impactful injury in the league, outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith was second and cornerback Jaire Alexander was ninth.

So, yes, the Packers have a number of high-quality starters. But can they withstand some key injuries? Starters vs. starters, Green Bay is good enough to win every game. However, what will happen when attrition inevitably strikes?

Green Bay was fortunate to survive last year’s injuries. Sometimes, it was excellent planning. At outside linebacker, for instance, former first-round pick Rashan Gary was ready for a much bigger role. Sometimes, it was unexpected depth. Yosh Nijman, a former undrafted free agent, was excellent in place of Bakhtiari. Sometimes, it was good fortune. The Packers found Rasul Douglas buried on the Cardinals’ practice squad.

Here’s a position-by-position report card, with the starters and backups designations based on the 2021 regular season and 2022 offseason practices and not 2022 projections. It will quickly become apparent which positions could be on GM Brian Gutekunst's radar for upgrades, whether it's during the next few weeks before training camp or with a mid-training camp addition.

Quarterbacks

Danny Etling and Jordan Love drop back to pass at practice. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starter: Aaron Rodgers

Backups: Jordan Love and Danny Etling

Grade: B. Drafting Love was an enormous mistake. In 2020, the Packers were coming off a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Using a first-round selection on a quarterback was a waste of a draft pick, no matter what GM Brian Gutekunst said when that phrase was used before the draft. Compounding matters, Love wasn’t good enough to triumph in winnable road games against the Chiefs and Lions. Still, Love has talent and some experience. There are a lot worse backup situations than Green Bay’s, though Love needs to stay healthy and take advantage of every opportunity.

Running backs

AJ Dillon runs past offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starter: Aaron Jones

Backups: AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill (injured), Patrick Taylor, B.J. Baylor (rookie), Tyler Goodson (rookie)

Grade: A. What a luxury for coach Matt LaFleur and position coach Ben Sirmans to have Jones and Dillon leading the backfield. They are superb, do-it-all running backs and excellent examples for the rest of the depth chart. Last season, they combined for 2,306 total yards and 17 total touchdowns. Looking beyond their lightning and thunder, Hill impressed last preseason and Taylor really flashed in the regular-season finale at Detroit.

Receivers

Juwann Winfree turns upfield after catching a pass vs. Arizona. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb

Backups: Christian Watson (rookie), Amari Rodgers, Romeo Doubs (rookie), Juwann Winfree, Malik Taylor, Samori Toure (rookie), Danny Davis (rookie).

Grade: C. Honestly, who knows? Assuming the three veterans stay healthy and are the Week 1 starters, the seven players battling for snaps and spots behind them on the depth chart combined to catch 14 passes in the NFL last season. Rookie or veteran, the best of the bunch during the offseason practices was Winfree. That was true last year, too. Drafted in the sixth round by Denver in 2019, he had the first eight catches of his career but also the only two fumbles by a Packers receiver all season. Rodgers could challenge Cobb for snaps in the slot, and all four of the rookies had their moments.

Tight ends

Josiah Deguara scored a long touchdown at Detroit in Week 18. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan (injured)

Backups: Tyler Davis, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney, Alize Mack, Eli Wolf

Grade: C-plus. Davis was one of the stories of the spring. A sixth-round pick by Jacksonville in 2020, Davis landed in Green Bay early last season. He wound up catching only four passes in 14 games but showed some real potential as a receiver during the offseason practices. “Definitely, I feel like I’m scratching the surface. I feel like I can turn into a pretty special player,” he said last month. If Tonyan isn't ready for Week 1, Davis could have a big role. This will be a big training camp for Deguara, a third-round pick in 2020 who hasn’t made much of an impact.

Offensive line

Yosh Nijman gets loose before practice. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: LT David Bakhtiari, LG Jon Runyan, C Josh Myers, RG Royce Newman, RT Yosh Nijman, Elgton Jenkins (injured)

Backups: C/G Jake Hanson, G/T Cole Van Lanen, G/T Sean Rhyan (rookie), C/G Zach Tom (rookie), T Rasheed Walker (rookie), C/G Michal Menet, T Caleb Jones (rookie), G/T George Moore (rookie), C/G Cole Schneider (rookie)

Grade: B-minus. This grade is based on the assumption that Bakhtiari will be a season-long starter and Jenkins will return at some point, too. Based on how he played last season and his excellent series of offseason practices, Nijman could be the best swing tackle in the NFL. He’s so athletic and explosive. On the interior, will Rhyan or Tom step to the forefront when they put on the pads and have to block Kenny Clark or Devonte Wyatt? Whether it’s the rookies or Hanson or Van Lanen, someone is going to have fill the utility role manned by Lucas Patrick. In case disaster strikes and neither Bakhtiari nor Jenkins are available, the Packers laid the groundwork of having Newman step out to right tackle.

Defensive line

Devonte Wyatt (left) and TJ Slaton talk shop at practice. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed

Backups: TJ Slaton, Devonte Wyatt (rookie), Jack Heflin, Jonathan Ford (rookie), Chris Slayton, Akial Byers (rookie), Hauati Pututau (rookie)

Grade: A. There’s some projection here because Slaton played a relatively quiet 255 defensive snaps as a rookie and Wyatt, a first-round pick, has to prove he’s an NFL player, as well. But Clark, Lowry, Reed, Slaton and Wyatt looks like one heck of a five-man rotation. Clark, Lowry and Reed have proven they can handle heavy workloads but, as is the case with all big guys, sometimes a little less means a lot more. That is where the depth should come in handy.

Outside linebackers

Jonathan Garvin reacts after a missed field goal vs. Washington. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith

Backups: Jonathan Garvin, Randy Ramsey (injured), Tipa Galeai, La’Darius Hamilton, Kingsley Enagbare (rookie), Kobe Jones, Chauncey Manac (rookie)

Grade: D. Every time the Packers took Gary and Smith off the field last season, you could count on the sound of silence from the backups. Garvin was a tough customer against the run but the pass-rush impact was practically nonexistent. Not much has changed. The only addition was Enagbare, a fifth-round draft pick. The Packers did have high hopes for Ramsey last year until he suffered a broken ankle. He said he’d be ready for Day 1 of training camp. Someone’s got to step up, because Gary and Smith played less than two-thirds of the snaps, so there is ample playing time available.

Inside linebackers

Quay Walker (left) and Krys Barnes will compete for a starting position. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: De’Vondre Campbell, Krys Barnes

Backups: Quay Walker (rookie), Ray Wilborn, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty Summers, Ellis Brooks (rookie), Caliph Brice (rookie)

Grade: B-plus. Campbell and Walker could be an elite tandem. Campbell is coming off an All-Pro season in which he tackled, covered and delivered big plays. Walker, a first-round pick, has a ridiculous combination of size and speed. Combined, they could change the way coordinator Joe Barry lines up his defense. Barnes is no slouch, though. Compared to Campbell, he recorded more tackles per snap and limited running plays to fewer yards per tackle. It appears Wilborn will be given every opportunity to unseat Summers and McDuffie. Special teams will determine how that shakes out.

Cornerbacks

Keisean Nixon talks to defensive coordinator Joe Barry. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes

Backups: Keisean Nixon, Kabion Ento, Shemar Jean-Charles, Kiondre Thomas, Rico Gafford, Raleigh Texada (rookie)

Grade: D-minus. The Packers lined up with three cornerbacks on 80 percent of their defensive snaps last season. That’s life in the NFL. Green Bay is well-positioned to thrive in the modern NFL with their three starters. But what happens in case of an injury? The Packers’ depth is precarious, at best. Throughout the offseason, Nixon served as the next man up. An undrafted free agent in 2019, he’s played 273 snaps on defense. Total. That includes just 80 last season. He has one career pass defensed, which isn’t many but is still one more than everyone else competing to be those fourth and fifth corners.

Safeties

Shawn Davis goes for a leaping interception. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage

Backups: Shawn Davis, Vernon Scott, Innis Gaines, Tariq Carpenter (rookie), Tre Sterling (rookie)

Grade: D-plus. Throughout the offseason, Davis was the next man up at safety. A fifth-round pick by Indianapolis last year, the Packers signed him to their practice squad in September. He wound up playing in one game, with zero snaps on defense and nine on special teams. Scott, a seventh-round pick in 2020 who was banished to the bench for most of last season, the towering Carpenter, a seventh-round pick this year, and Gaines, who made a run at a roster spot last year, will vie for snaps as the third safety. Last year’s third safety, Henry Black, didn’t start any games but played 262 snaps on defense and 315 snaps on special teams. Davis, Scott and Gaines played zero snaps on defense last year.

Special teams

Steven Wirtel stretches before practice. (USA Today Sports Images Photo)

Starters: K Mason Crosby, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Steven Wirtel

Backups: K Gabe Brkic (rookie), LS Jack Coco (rookie)

Grade: Irrelevant. Depth isn’t needed on special teams. Obviously, the battle in training camp will be between Wirtel, who handled the snapping duties for the second half of last season, and Coco, who was signed after the rookie camp. Neither snapped with consistent precision during the offseason practices. At Georgia Tech, Coco snapped on field goals and extra points from 2018 through 2020 and focused on tight end in 2021. He hasn’t snapped for a live punt since high school.

Reviewing the Green Bay Packers Offseason

Here is everything you need to know about the offseason, from key transactions to the big story lines that will stretch into the start of training camp.