Packers had youngest and least experienced roster, most first-year players to open 2023

The Green Bay Packers had the youngest and least experienced roster in football to start 2023. They were also one of the biggest.

The Green Bay Packers had the youngest and least experienced overall roster, the most first-year or rookie players and the second-fewest players over 30 years old to open Week 1 of the 2023 season.

They were also one of the biggest teams to start 2023.

According to information collected by the NFL, the Packers had an average age of 25.13 years, average experience of 3.0 years and 17 rookies or first-year players. The Cincinnati Bengals ranked second in age at 25.42 years on average. The Los Angeles Rams ranked second in experience at 3.19 years and had the second-most first-year or rookie players with 15. The Packers had only three players age 30 or older, an NFC low; the Indianapolis Colts had the fewest in the NFL with two.

For comparison, the New York Jets had an average age of 27.11, average experience of 5.27 years and 15 players over the age of 30.

The only three players aged 30 or older in Green Bay are David Bakhtiari, De’Vondre Campbell and Preston Smith. The Packers actually have more first-year or rookie players (17) than players with five years or more of experience (16).

The youth movement is on in Green Bay. So far, so good. The Packers are 1-0 after beating the Bears in Week 1.

While young and inexperienced, the Packers were the biggest team by average height and weight in the NFC. In fact, the Packers’ average height of 6.25 was the tallest in the NFL, and only the New England Patriots (249.11) were bigger than the Packers (248.89) weight-wise.

Young and big. And undeniably fast. The Packers will likely go through ups and downs during the 2023 season, but general manager Brian Gutekunst has built a developing yet competitive group of young, exciting players around a strong, experienced core.

Packers rookies, first-year players

DL Karl Brooks
K Anders Carlson
QB Sean Clifford
OLB Brenton Cox Jr.
WR Malik Heath
S Anthony Johnson Jr.
TE Tucker Kraft
TE Luke Musgrave
WR Jayden Reed
TE Ben Sims
CB Carrington Valentine
OLB Lukas Van Ness
WR Dontayvion Wicks
RB Emanuel Wilson
DL Colby Wooden
P Daniel Whelan
S Zayne Anderson (first-year)

Chiefs OL Jason ‘Chu’ Godrick speaks about his first-ever football game

#Chiefs lineman Jason “Chu” Godrick spoke about playing his first-ever game of organized football on Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jason “Chu” Godrick’s “welcome to the NFL” moment this past Sunday was even bigger than just a welcome to professional football — it was a full-on “welcome to football” moment.

Godrick, who came to Kansas City as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program from Lagos, Nigeria, played in his first-ever football game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 of the preseason.

And, oddly enough, he did a pretty solid job in his professional debut. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder earned 20 snaps at right tackle and didn’t allow a single pressure. After the game, Godrick talked to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports (former editor of Chiefs Wire) about his amazing first-time football experience.

“Words can barely express it, to be honest,” Godrick said. “The atmosphere was definitely something I had never experienced, but I did my best to keep my head on a swivel and just play ball.”

It’s almost unprecedented to see a player come straight into the NFL without playing a single snap of organized football — it speaks to the true talent that Godrick has, not to mention the work ethic of getting to that level.

It’ll be another giant leap for Godrick to one day make a practice squad, let alone a 53-man roster, but his impressive debut showed that it could be a possibility for him. That would be a story to behold.

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Chiefs UDFA WR Nikko Remigio details experience in Kansas City so far

#Chiefs UDFA WR Nikko Remigio recently spoke about joining the reigning Super Bowl champs and the work he’s put in so far with his new team.

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Kansas City Chiefs rookie wideout Nikko Remigio is adjusting well to life in the NFL. The former Fresno State Bulldog joins a talented wide receiver corps looking to build on a championship season.

Speaking with KFSN-TV’s Stephen Hicks, Remigio spoke about his experience joining the reigning Super Bowl champions as an undrafted free agent.

“You know, obviously, just playing in a really phenomenal, talented organization,” Remigio said. “Their past season speaks to the quality of the guys in the room, the quality of coaches on the staff and everybody just within the organization. It has been a great learning process for me and I’m just soaking it all in, each and every day.”

What exactly was it like for Remigio to join an NFL team with such notoriety and star power? After the initial shock of making it to the league went away, he’s been all business with his new teammates.

“I think the first day at rookie minicamp, stepping on the field in general and wearing the Chiefs jersey and being on the Chiefs’ practice field was a surreal moment for me,” Remigio said. “Seeing those guys in the locker room, it’s like, ‘Oh shoot, that’s Patrick Mahomes.’ My locker is two lockers down from Travis Kelce’s, so that was definitely a surreal moment, first getting into the building and being around those guys. At the end of the day, they’re here for a job, just like myself and it’s good to be able to work with and learn and be with those guys.”

Remigio shares an agent with Patrick Mahomes, so before he was even in Kansas City, he had correspondence with the reigning league MVP. Mahomes coached Remigio up on what to expect with the Chiefs and the type of preparation that he’d need to make it in the league.

“Those guys have been extremely helpful with learning the playbook, understanding defenses and just subtle, little details as far as being able to elevate my game and see the game from a different perspective,” Remigio said. “The playbook is definitely no joke. It lives up to all the hype and there’s a lot to learn. There (are) a lot more little nuanced details that you have to learn. Coming in, for somebody like myself, just trying to add versatility to my game and not be confined to one position.”

The rookie says he’s loving the challenge of trying to learn all of the different positions and nuances within Andy Reid’s offense. He’s seeing constant growth as a football player, especially as he tries to lock down a role for 2023.

“My role is getting in anywhere where I can,” Remigio said. “The receiver role isn’t confined to just the slot. It kind of makes learning the playbook a little more challenging because I’m not learning just one position, but I’m learning every position. If my number gets called, my name gets called, I’m ready, I’m prepared. I’m obviously learning every receiver position and then, as you said, special teams is a huge component of the game, especially for a guy like myself. Coming into the league as an undrafted guy, I’m going to have to make a name for myself on special teams.”

It remains to be seen if Remigio can make a push for the 53-man roster, but he clearly has the mindset necessary to do so. For his case, it all starts with soaking up everything he can about the playbook and creating value on both offense and special teams.

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Every Chiefs player with Super Bowl experience

The #Chiefs have quite a few players with Super Bowl experience on the 53-man roster, practice squad and injured reserve.

Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have been to and won a Super Bowl in the last five years. As a result, both teams have veterans on the roster who have been through this experience before. They even have a few select players that have Super Bowl experience with other teams. The young players on the roster in Kansas City are able to lean on those salty veterans for guidance as they deal with the media frenzy and frantic week leading up to Super Bowl LVII.

Below is a quick look at every player on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster, practice squad and injured reserve list who has experienced a Super Bowl firsthand: