Packers Surround Love With Strength to Succeed

Sure, the receivers and tight ends are young, but there should be no excuses for Jordan Love in Year 1 as the Packers' starting quarterback.

Aaron Jones (center) celebrates with AJ Dillon and Tyler Davis (Photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will field an incredibly young passing attack, with Jordan Love throwing to a bunch of rookies and second-year receivers and tight ends.

Elsewhere, though, general manager Brian Gutekunst has done a fine job of surrounding his first-year starting quarterback with high-quality, veteran performers.

The offensive line, led by the left side of tackle David Bakhtiari and guard Elgton Jenkins, should be one of the best in the NFL. Running behind that line, the backfield duo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are do-it-all performers who’ve shown they can carry the load.

Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Network recently ranked the NFL’s offensive lines and running backs.

At PFF, Green Bay’s offensive line was deemed the eighth-best. It called Bakhtiari the unit’s best player.

“His knee is potentially now a chronic concern, but he is still an elite pass protector,” Sam Monson wrote. While that may be true, it’s also true that Bakhtiari took first-team reps during OTAs and the minicamp. If the Packers were legitimately concerned about Bakhtiari, he probably would have been watching the festivities from the sideline. That he was taking “live” reps lends credence to the belief that Bakhtiari’s troubles are a thing of the past.

Anchored by Bakhtiari and Jenkins, an established group will start. Based on the offseason practices, the only spot that’s up for grabs is right tackle, though Yosh Nijman and Zach Tom played a lot last season.

“In between the 2013 and 2015 stretch, we did” have similar continuity, Bakhtiari said during OTAs. “It’s good, it’s great. You’ve got a bunch of guys, not too many new faces, so we can really get going with a little more complex stuff and start establishing ourselves early. I think that’s something that’s going to be big for us this year as an entire unit. Each one’s got to fill their role and pick up where they need to pick up.”

Pro Football Network ranked Green Bay’s line No. 9.

“A healthy left side of Bakhtiari, Jenkins and [center Josh] Myers is about as good as it gets,” PFN’s Dalton Miller wrote.

Then, he made a good point. “Allowing Jenkins to be locked into just one position is good news for the Packers because it means that they don’t need to rely on him outside of left guard yet. Injuries during the season could change that, but it’s nice to know exactly where he’ll be to start.”

At PFF, Green Bay’s running backs ranked as the league’s sixth-best. Jones and Dillon finished among PFF’s 12 best individuals, noted Gordon McGuinness.

Pro Football Network didn’t rank the running back units but did rank the top 32 backs, with Jones 10th and Dillon 30th.

“The Packers’ rushing attack may become all the more important next season as Jordan Love takes his turn under center following the Aaron Rodgers trade,” Dallas Robinson wrote, “so Jones could be in for another heavy workload as Green Bay aims to support its young starting quarterback.”

To be sure, the passing game is riddled with questions. Can Love play at a winning level for 1,000 snaps, and can he make the big throws on third down and in the fourth quarter? Receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have played some high-level snaps; can they emerge as something approaching the next Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings? Can Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft beat the odds as rookie tight ends?

While those are significant questions, the offensive lines and running backs that will surround Love should give him every chance to reach whatever his potential.

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Remember when the #Packers were unstoppable in the red zone?

Last year, they ranked 24th. With 24 days until the first practice of training camp, that must be fixed.https://t.co/sQ6cyrdooK

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 2, 2023

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