Three big questions left only training camp can answer for the Green Bay Packers
Even mandatory minicamps will only tell us so much about where players stand with the team or how philosophies might change. Only training camp can offer insight into these crucial topics.
Good morning!
The Green Bay Packers have completed the “spring” portion of the offseason program, and we’ll have to wait until training camp to get another glimpse at the 2025 iteration of this team. While this year’s team shows promise — Mark Murphy called the vibe around this team special in a rare, outgoing presidential breakdown of the team to close camp — there’s still plenty to be decided once the pads come back on.
Today’s free Monday newsletter focuses on three big questions only training camp can answer, thanks to preseason games and full-speed, padded practices.
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Who is starting for the Packers’ offensive line and where?
Peter Bukowski: Aaron Banks has the left guard spot sewn up thanks to a lucrative free agent contract. Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst each hinted this offseason Zach Tom’s home at right tackle is a mortgage, not a rental. He owns that spot.
After that, there’s a pool of players fighting for the rest.
Elgton Jenkins projects as the center starter, but what if contract talks turn contentious? He held in for mandatory minicamps and wants assurances from Green Bay as the team asks him to move to center.
Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk, and Donovan Jennings all got run with the ones during minicamp at his center position, and each offers some intriguing long-term potential if Jenkins truly is playing his final year in Green Bay (an eventuality this hold-in is intended to avoid).
He’s probably going to be the starter, but even if that’s true, what happens behind him could well have a long-term impact on what happens at that position, including whether or not the Packers extend Jenkins or stick with an internal development plan.
After that, there’s a clear domino effect: if Jordan Morgan wins the left tackle job over Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan sticks at right guard. Anthony Belton serves as the backup tackle, with Jennings, Monk, Travis Glover, and Kadeem Telfort fighting for reps alongside the injured rookie John Williams.
If he doesn’t, Morgan becomes the favorite to get the right guard job and will at least be in a rotation with Rhyan, similar to last season before Morgan got hurt.
It may not be sexy, but this is the position battle to watch in camp.
How does the receiver hierarchy shake out?
PB: This is the sexy position battle, I’m just not sure how ultimately sexy it’s going to be. In Week 1, the Packers are going to line up in 11 personnel with Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jayden Reed on the field. First-round pick Matthew Golden will get opportunities. So will third-round pick Savion Williams, but barring a trade, training camp likely doesn’t change the status quo at the position.
Now, a Golden ascension or a Williams surprise could make a Doubs or Wicks more expendable, leading to a trade which would necessarily shake up the room. But how good would one or both have to be for the Packers to consider such a drastic move in the midst of what the organization thinks is a Super Bowl run?
The better question might be what the team could theoretically get in a trade. If the Steelers wanted to give up real draft capital for someone like Doubs, then maybe Green Bay would consider it. If not, there’s no good incentive to move on from a veteran security blanket short of discontent boiling over into a team distraction.
More likely, any Golden rise takes place during the season as his production proves worthy of more playing time. Also, given his projected role in the offense, Golden will take a considerable portion of the Christian Watson speed, clearout role, which means while he’ll be crucial in the geometry of the offense by drawing attention from defenders, he won’t be getting an enormous target share, at least early on.
Were the Packers right to count on a coaching change to boost the pass rush?
PB: Maybe it’s unfair to put this as a training camp question to be answered, but if it takes until the regular season to find out if Lukas Van Ness has taken a real step forward or one of these rookies is ready for a bigger role, then we’ll already know the answer.
If it’s not obvious in training camp, if LVN isn’t MF'ing guys in one-on-one drills and disrupting 11-on-11, then the games aren’t going to tell us any different story.
And if Day 3 flyers like Barryn Sorrell or Colin Oliver materially change the Packers pass rush, we’ll see those flashes immediately. That’s not to say they can’t improve and eventually become very good players if we don’t. Most rookies are bad, even if they become good players. But that’s the point: If they’re going to contribute in a meaningful way to the 2025 Packers, we’ll see it right away.
And if none of those things happen in the first week or two, we’ll know a coaching change for this group wasn’t enough.
Training camp won’t tell us if Devonte Wyatt can stay healthy, or if Kenny Clark’s body is still up to dominating regularly. Only the regular season can tell us that, and maybe one or both of those things are enough to improve the pass rush, but neither would tell us anything about DeMarcus Covington’s impact over Jason Rebrovich.
It would still be nice to see some hints in camp, though, especially if we aren’t seeing it from Van Ness and Co.