With no in-person offseason workout program and training camps expected to be drastically altered due to the coronavirus pandemic, continuity – particularly on offense – could be a significant factor early on during the 2020 NFL season.
The Green Bay Packers are one of a handful of teams with this potentially valuable continuity on offense.
Adam Levitan of Establish the Run scoured through the 32 teams and found only eight teams going into 2020 with the same head coach, offensive coordinator, starting quarterback and top two wide receivers from last season. The Packers joined the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers among the eight teams with all five important offensive positions returning this season.
The Packers have coach and playcaller Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard.
The Packers also return quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Luke Getsy, their two top running backs (Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams) and four of their five starting offensive linemen, further highlighting the carryover from last year’s offense.
The only newcomers likely to play a notable role for the Packers on offense are veteran receiver Devin Funchess and veteran right tackle Rick Wagner, who will replace Geronimo Allison and Bryan Bulaga, respectively. The team also drafted running back A.J. Dillon and tight end Josiah Deguara, but it’s possible neither will be more than a rotational player. LaFleur also hired a new receivers coach, but it was an internal promotion.
For the most, the Packers offense is just expanding on the foundation built last year.
All this might mean nothing, but it could mean something during a unique offseason fraught with challenges. While the Packers lost out on valuable in-person time during the offseason workout program, the team has the same scheme, playcaller and almost all of the offensive personnel from last year, so the transition from the end of 2019 to the start of 2020 should be, in theory, a little more smooth in Green Bay.
The Packers sure wouldn’t mind if that offensive continuity turned into something tangible when the team travels to Minnesota to play the Vikings in the opener.