PFF Roster Rankings Include Packers’ Biggest Strength, Weakness

The Green Bay Packers’ biggest strength could be even better in 2024, and their biggest weakness could become a strength.

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney during OTAs. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers roster is the 13th-best in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, but there’s a chance to make a big leap if they can turn their biggest weakness into a strength.

PFF ranked every roster in the NFL and analyzed strengths, weaknesses and projected starting lineups. For the Packers, their biggest weakness is their middle-of-the-field defense.

“While the Packers excelled offensively last season, the same can’t be said for their defense,” the authors, Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman, wrote. “New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will be looking for improvement at linebacker and safety, in particular. Those groups ranked 31st and 24th, respectively, in overall grade last season. Several new additions to both units will be key to the Packers’ success.”

The Packers made three huge additions to the defense in hopes of solving that shortcoming.

First, it was signing safety Xavier McKinney in free agency. During his fourth and final season with the Giants, McKinney had 116 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed. Green Bay’s primary safeties last year, Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford – none of whom remain with the team – combined for two interceptions and 10 passes defensed.

McKinney is one of the best tacklers in the business and an enormous upgrade from that perspective compared to Savage.

Plus, he’s quickly emerged as a team leader – a “dude,” according to coach Matt LaFleur.

“We know what our goal is,” McKinney said at Packers OTAs. “We know what we want to accomplish. Obviously, I wasn’t here last year; they can speak on that more than I can. But for me, I’m just coming in and helping anywhere that I can. Being that piece that I know they need me to be and also making the guys around me better.

“Like I said, we know what our end goal is, and I told the guys today, every day counts because we’re actually one of the first games to be played, which is a little earlier, and obviously it’s out of the country so it’s going to be a big game. So, just kind of letting them know that we got to be prepared, we got to take these days seriously at OTAs, and we got to make sure we’re on our Ps and Qs come that moment.”

Next, it was drafting safety Javon Bullard in the second round. Bullard’s a bit undersized but had a strong history of playmaking, versatility and physicality at Georgia.

“I feel like we’re going to complement each other very well,” Bullard said of he and McKinney as the presumptive starting tandem. “At the end of the day, I know he’s going to do his job and he expects me to do the same thing. Just making sure we’re on the same page and making sure we get the job done.”

Finally, it was drafting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in the second round to pair with middle linebacker Quay Walker. He was a first-team All-American last year at Texas A&M after leading the team in tackles and the SEC in tackles for losses.

“I just think he’s an explosive player,” linebackers coach Anthony Campanile said before the start of OTAs. “He has a lot of explosive traits physically and he’s got a really good get-off. So, there’s some stuff there where you look at that and that definitely jumps out off the tape. If you watch those reps, he’s got the ability to run people down, and he does that in pass coverage, as well. So, he’s got a well-rounded foundation.”

The strength of the team, as you might have guessed, is the passing game. Jordan Love emerged during a red-hot second half of the season, and he’s surrounded by a “cascade” of young playmakers at receiver and tight end.

“I don’t think there was any one game in particular” that was the turning point, Love said last week. “I think throughout the season, every game I learned so many valuable lessons in every rep I took, so I feel like halfway through is when I started getting really comfortable, understanding more where I need to go with the ball, what I need to do out there to put our team in the best position and just limit the mistakes and things like that.

“I feel like every game I played, I learned a little bit and got a little more comfortable.”

Receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are back for Year 3, and the Packers last year became the first team since at least 1970 with four rookies with 30-plus catches. Leading the pack was Jayden Reed, who broke Sterling Sharpe’s franchise rookie record with 64 receptions.

“If the Packers perform that well offensively for an entire season, they could find themselves in Super Bowl contention,” wrote the authors.

The Detroit Lions are sixth, the Chicago Bears are 20th and the Minnesota Vikings are 21st. Similar to the Packers with the middle of their defense, the Lions addressed their biggest weakness – cornerback – with veterans and rookies. Lack of a pass rush is the big problem for the Bears and Vikings.

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The great @MathBomb recently put together an X thread of every team's RAS. The #Packers, not surprisingly, ranked near the top.

Here's the story with his thoughts on GB's roster. ⬇️https://t.co/XsT4NpYe0h

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) May 31, 2024

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