Packer Central

Packers Training Camp Preview: Quarterbacks

In Part 1 of a series of Green Bay Packers training camp positional previews, it's a look at Jordan Love and the quarterbacks.

Bill Huber

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After three years of watching and learning behind Aaron Rodgers, it’s Jordan Love’s time to sink or swim.

The Green Bay Packers in 2023 will sink or swim alongside him.

The Packers will be entering the great unknown at quarterback. A first-round pick in 2020, Love has had plenty of time to hone his considerable skill-set. He struggled in place of Rodgers at Kansas City and Detroit in 2021, he impressed off the bench at Philadelphia in 2022. His work behind the scenes is a big reason why general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to wash his hands of Rodgers rather than giving the legend one more shot to get back to the Super Bowl.

Mystery fills the entire depth chart. Backup candidates Danny Etling and Sean Clifford haven’t thrown a pass in the NFL. The Packers are the only team in the NFL without either an established starter or seasoned backup.

With the first practice of Packers training camp set for July 26, here is a look at the quarterbacks.

Projected Opening Depth Chart

Starter: Jordan Love.

Backups: Danny Etling, Sean Clifford.

Related Story: Projecting 2023 Training Camp Depth Charts

Position Group Ranking (out of 11)

10th.

Strength

Nothing concrete. From the outside, all the optimism surrounding Love revolves around 10 snaps at the end of a rather lopsided loss at Philadelphia in November. There’s no knocking Love’s performance that night. He played on time, was sharp and put points on the scoreboard. But, from the Eagles’ perspective, that game was over, and they played accordingly.

The strength, really, is either glass-half-full projection or glass-half-empty wishing. The Packers selected him in the first round in 2020 for a reason. With above-average physical tools, he checks every box you’d ever want in a quarterback. He doesn’t have the strongest arm but it’s strong enough. He’s not the most athletic but he’s athletic enough. With three years on the bench, he’s not experienced but he is seasoned.

When Jaire Alexander jumped into Love’s minicamp interview and proclaimed him to be the “Best QB in the league,” it was nonsense, of course. However, Alexander didn’t have to bomb Love’s interview at all. He didn’t have to say a word. That he did shows the belief in the locker room that Love, at least, can be pretty good.

Weakness

Inexperience, inexperience and inexperience. Love’s NFL resume includes one start, a dismal performance at the Chiefs in 2021. His 83 regular-season passing attempts are 83 more than his backups. Etling was a seventh-round pick in 2018 who has endured more position changes (quarterback to receiver and back to quarterback) than regular-season snaps (zero). Clifford was a fifth-round pick in 2022.

Jordan Love and Danny Etling
Jordan Love and Danny Etling (Photo by Samantha Mader/USA Today Sports Images)

Key Questions

1. Love is the quarterback of the present. Will he be the quarterback of the future?

Working with Rodgers is why venerable quarterbacks coach Tom Clements came out of retirement in 2022. Working with Love is why Clements decided to return in 2023.

“Well, that was the initial reason I came back, a chance to win another Super Bowl, coach Aaron,” Clements said before OTAs. “But I came back and enjoyed it, enjoyed working with Jordan and … Danny Etling. And any time you can coach a guy and you think you can help him and it looks like you’ve helped him a little bit, that’s gratifying.”

2. Will the Packers sign Carson Wentz to be Love’s backup? In 2008, the Packers went with rookies Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn behind first-time starter Rodgers. So, it’s certainly possible that the Packers will go with Etling and/or Clifford behind the first-time starter Love.

If, in mid-August, Etling and Clifford are struggling on the practice field and the preseason games, could general manager Brian Gutekunst take a look at the picked-over veteran market?

One option would be Wentz, an MVP candidate in 2017 who helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl. His career has fallen off a cliff, though. He couldn’t get the Colts into the playoffs in 2021 and couldn’t hold onto the starting job with the Commanders in 2022.

At this point, the 30-year-old is open to being a backup. He not only would give the Packers an experienced No. 2 should Love go down, but he’d provide a valuable extra set of eyes and an experienced sounding board.

Biggest Battle

Etling vs. Clifford. At age 28, Etling is one of the 10 oldest players on the roster. He hasn’t played in a game in five years in the NFL, though he did have an excellent preseason for the Packers last year with a 123.3 passer rating.

Clifford was a fifth-round pick following a record-setting career at Penn State. He’s not oozing talent but you can tell he’s played a lot of football. Even with limited experience in the offense, he led the backups to a touchdown in a 2-minute drill during minicamp by making all the right decisions and throwing the ball with accuracy.

Given the new rules surrounding the third quarterback, it’s possible both will make the final 53. With 69 quarterbacks starting at least one game last season, the law of probability suggests Love will either not finish a game or not be available to start a game or games. Which quarterback will be thrust into action?

Star Search

It has to be Love. If Love isn’t the next foundational starting quarterback, the Packers will have to turn to the draft to find one. As evidenced by the Chicago Bears, among other teams, if you don’t have a quality starting quarterback, you have no chance of winning big in today’s NFL.

“He can throw the ball, No. 1, which you need to do in the NFL,” Clements said. “He’s athletic, he can move around, buy time, and he’s intelligent and he generally makes good decisions. He at this point just needs to play and work on processing information, making quick decisions, then getting it to the right guy. But he has all the qualities that you’re looking for in a guy to be successful.”

Don’t Forget About

Etling. Everyone always loves the shiny new draft pick. That’s Clifford. Sort of lost in the shuffle is Etling, even though he had an impressive preseason that included a 51-yard touchdown run.

It will be a wide-open battle between the two. Etling joined the Packers in December 2021. His experience in the system will give him a big edge over Clifford when camp begins.

Countdown to Packers Training Camp

17 days until training camp: 17 is the unmagical number

18 days until training camp: LaFleur’s magic touches?

19 days until training camp: 19 1,000-yard challenges

20 days until training camp: 20 reasons for optimism

21 days until training camp: 21 Packers rookie tight ends

22 days until training camp: Fourth of July fireworks

23 days until training camp: No. 23, Jaire Alexander

23 days until training camp: Projected depth charts

24 days until training camp: Big question at kicker

24 days until training camp: From No. 1 to No. 24 in red zone

25 days until training camp: Big question at cornerback

25 days until training camp: From No. 1 to No. 25 in tackling

26 days until training camp: Big question at safety

26 days until training camp: The key to the defense is No. 26

27 days until training camp: Big question at inside linebacker

27 days until training camp: 27 sources of inspiration

28 days until training camp: Big question at outside linebacker

28 days until training camp: At least they’re consistent

29 days until training camp: Big question at defensive line

29 days: Keisean Nixon’s surprise stardom

30 days until training camp: Big question at offensive line

30 days until training camp: 30th in key defensive stat

31 days until training camp: Big question at tight end

31 days until training camp: A killer No. 31 ranking

32 days until training camp: Big question at receiver

32 days until training camp: 32nd-ranked receivers

33 days until training camp: Big question at running back

33 days until training camp: No. 33, Aaron Jones, is a great player

34 days until training camp: Big question at quarterback

34 days until training camp: Plus-34 in turnovers

Published
Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, 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.

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