The Green Bay Packers are searching for the new face of the franchise after Aaron Rodgers’ departure. Fortunately, there are several candidates who can become that guy in 2023.
The franchise is also looking for someone who can become “that guy” on offense. Not akin to anything mentioned above, but a true, No. 1 playmaker that can take over games and will the team to victory at any point in time.
Fortunately, there are several candidates who can become that guy, as well.
The first and most obvious name that comes to mind is star running back Aaron Jones, but at the same time, the Packers aren’t calling his number on 3rd and 7+. We also don’t know if Christian Watson is ready to receive 15 targets per game. He is a big play waiting to happen, but can he carry the team through the air on a snap-to-snap basis like the NFL’s elite receivers can?
The NFL’s best offenses have that guy on their roster. The Kansas City Chiefs have Travis Kelce. The Buffalo Bills have Stefon Diggs. The Philadelphia Eagles have A.J. Brown. The Cincinnati Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase.
See what I mean?
However, just because an offense doesn’t have a true No. 1 option doesn’t mean it’s doomed or destined to be average, at best. Sure, it’s understandable why many people who follow the game would consider it a weakness, but it can also be a strength if it’s used correctly.
And Packers quarterback Jordan Love is well aware of that fact.
“Yeah, it does,” Love said when asked if having a lot of versatile players stresses the defense. “We have running backs that catch the ball out of the backfield [and] run routes. We added a couple of really fast tight ends, so just being able to stretch the field with them. And then obviously, we have some really fast receivers, too. So it stresses the defense [and] makes them focus on everybody. At the same time, I don’t think we have that one player that right now is like, ‘Oh, this is who we have to throw the ball to on maybe third down.’ And things like that.”
“So, you know, the defense might not really know who to focus on on third downs, things like that. I think that all ties in and it will help us out.”
Love has an excellent point, but what makes it legit, more than anything, is Matt LaFleur’s offense is built for disguise and multiple targets.
He comes from the Kyle Shanahan tree and as we all know, Shanahan is the master of running different plays out of the same formations/personnel groupings. That completely throws off defenses because they never truly know what to expect, especially when competing against offenses that run certain plays out of distinct looks without any kind of mixing and matching, so to speak.
And it gets even better when looking at the versatility each player has. Watson is a true burner -a deep threat that can bust one open at any moment- but he’s also a guy you can use on end-arounds, jet sweeps, and even jump-balls in the end zone. Romeo Doubs is the route technician and the hands guy.
Tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are athletic guys who can block and catch. Musgrave is the better athlete and more of the Kelce-type TE, whereas Kraft is more of your typical “Y” tight end, which is a great combo to have.
And then, obviously, there’s the running back duo of Jones and A.J. Dillon, who can both do it all, as well.
“You can pretty much run any play out of any personnel,” Jones told reporters back in May. “So we’ve been working on that, running out of four different personnel as the same play. And so, you know, one play I might be in the backfield, one play I might be somewhere else.
“We’re just working on that and it is a little, a little new, but I think it finds mismatches and different ways to get people the ball.”
The Packers should never really be pigeonholed with any personnel grouping in 2023. If one player comes off the field, the team can simply adjust without the defense knowing until post-snap.
And that in itself should make for a very interesting season.
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