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Do the post-Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers have a roster that is now better than only five teams entering the 2023 season? The evaluators at Pro Football Focus think so.
Dalton Wasserman and Jim Wyman of PFF ranked the Packers roster at 27th out of 32 teams following free agency and the draft.
The only teams ranked below the Packers? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.
The Packers finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs last season, and then Brian Gutekunst’s roster lost Rodgers, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Randall Cobb, Jarran Reed, Dean Lowry and likely Adrian Amos and Marcedes Lewis. The Jordan Love era will begin with a young roster attempting to overcome the many failures of last season.
PFF pointed to the Packers’ “lack of dynamic pass-catchers” as the roster’s biggest weakness, although major resources were spent over the last two drafts to rehaul the wide receiver and tight end positions.
The counter argument here is that the Packers finished 12th in DVOA in 2022 and were one win at home away from making the postseason despite a poor statistical season from Rodgers and a disappointing three-quarters of a season from Joe Barry’s defense. Gutekunst has foundational pieces in place at running back, left tackle, edge rusher, interior defensive line and cornerback, and a deep offensive line and first-round-laden defense should be big benefits for a young quarterback.
The Packers are a team in transition, but the pieces are in place for Love’s team to be good if he’s good. That’s the big question. If Love fails, the Packers will undoubtedly look like the 27th best team in football next season. There’s talent left in Green Bay, but the Packers do have a mountain of sorts to climb in the first year post-Rodgers.