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In a season where expectations were tempered, the Green Bay Packers impressed even the most optimistic Wisconsin football fans. The team finished the regular season at 9-8, then knocked off the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs before falling just short to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Now, with expecations raised, the Packers enter the 2024 season as one of the Super Bowl favorites. How will Green Bay navigate this increased pressure? First, the franchise must go through training camp, pairing the roster down to the 53 players the front office believes can guide the team to a championship. With many tough decisions ahead, here are three potential Packers trade candidates entering 2024 training camp.
Royce Newman (OG)
Even with the departures of Jon Runyan and David Bakhtiari, guard Royce Newman still finds himself as a reserve for the Green Bay Packers. Newman was a starter as a rookie fourth-round pick, giving up six sacks and committing five penalties. That year, his Pro Football Focus Player Grade was 55.7, putting him in the Below Average category.
Newman has played in all 34 games for Green Bay over the last two years but has made just eight starts during this stretch. With a PFF grade of 44.3 in 2023 (placing him in the Poor category), it is easy to see why Newman struggles to crack the starting lineup. The guard has one year left on his rookie deal, and with no clear path to substantial playing time, Royce Newman will be a trade candidate ahead of training camp.
AJ Dillon (RB)
The Packers signed former Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs, pairing him with the bruising AJ Dillon. Those are the running backs of the present. Rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd could be the running back of the future. Lloyd is a dangerous playmaker with good size and speed (5-9, 220 lbs, 4.46 40-yard dash) who has drawn comparisons to Jerick McKinnon.
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Lloyd will be a solid third-down back and change-of-pace option for the Packers. He has the upside to become much more, which should worry AJ Dillon. Since a productive rookie season, Dillon's yards per carry has dropped from 5.1 to 4.3 to 4.1 to just 3.4 yards per carry last season. Dillon managed just 613 yards and two touchdowns despite starting six contests. He also failed to eclipse 80 yards on the ground in any contest.
The team re-signed Dillon on a one-year deal, but the 26-year-old carries a cap hit of just $1.29 million in 2024 — lower than the last two years of his rookie deal. This low salary demonstrates Green Bay's low expectations for Dillon this season and makes him a valuable trade piece. MarShawn Lloyd's explosiveness and proven college production will be enough to make AJ Dillon's role in the Green Bay offense tenuous, possibly putting the fifth-year back on the trading block.
Sean Clifford (QB)
Seventh-round picks don't usually receive a lot of hype, but most seventh-round picks are not Tulane QB Michael Pratt. Pratt was a four-year starter at Tulane, earning AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023. He entered the draft as a projected fourth-round pick and was considered the second-best QB outside the six gun-slingers who went in the first round.
The Tulane quarterback had at least 20 touchdowns and no more than eight picks in all four college seasons, plus 22 wins over his last two years. Pratt has good accuracy and decision-making but needs to anticipate throws better. He is a high-upside player with a great shot at becoming Jordan Love's primary backup for 2024 — which is bad news for incumbent Sean Clifford.
Clifford, a 2023 fifth-round pick, did not attempt a pass during his rookie season but will face significant competition from the talented Michael Pratt. Clifford is a cut candidate who also could find himself traded during training camp if the rookie Pratt outshines him.
