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The Green Bays Packers enter a new era of football in Wisconsin after the departure of Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But in terms of personnel, this team will not look too much different than it did last year. Despite the losses of wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, the Green Bay Packers return one of the NFL's strongest run games as well as an underrated defense.
With training camp approaching, the Packers face tough decisions about players to keep entering the regular season. The final cut is August 29th, and by then, every team must cull its roster from the current 90-player limit to a final group of 53. Here are a few notable Green Bay Packers players who might be traded away ahead of training camp.
Packers trade candidates entering 2023 training camp
AJ Dillon
Soon, the Packers will face a dilemma at the running back position. AJ Dillon is a free agent after this season, and Aaron Jones is free to leave after the 2024 campaign. Both will want big money, and the Packers probably cannot afford both.
Dillon has been a solid 1B option for the Packers, but has he progressed enough to be the Packers' go-to guy? The Boston College product has a single 100-yard rushing game in his three seasons in Green Bay — which came all the way back in December 2020. During this stretch, he has averaged a somewhat disappointing 4.2 yards/carry, recording 347 fewer rushing yards than Jones while only carrying the ball 11 fewer times. Jones is also a more dangerous receiver than Dillon — who is not much of a playmaker in the open field.
The argument to be made here is that neither AJ Dillon nor Aaron Jones will be with the Packers in two years' time. Dillon is not well-rounded enough to be a lead back, and Jones will soon be entering the twilight of his career. This is a harsh outlook, but one that is necessary in a ruthless National Football League.
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Darnell Savage
The Packers picked up the fifth-year option of safety Darnell Savage, keeping him in Green Bay through this season. But many Packers fans thought it was time for him to go. Savage's best season came in 2020, when he recorded 75 tackles, four interceptions, and twelve passes defended. Over the last two years, the secondary man has been exceedingly mediocre. His Pro Football Focus grade of 47.5 in 2022 puts him in the “Poor” category. This comes after a “Below Average ” score of 58.5 in 2021.
Green Bay made numerous additions at the safety position this summer, signing former Houston Texans started Jonathan Owens as well as ex-San Francisco 49ers reserve safety Tavarius Moore. The Packers also have Rudy Ford, a key rotation player who picked off three passes a year ago. With so much competition, Green Bay can afford to, and should look to, trade a declining player like Darnell Savage.
Pat O'Donnell
It has been a long time since a good punter has suited up at Lambeau Field. Only once in the last 15 years has a Packers punter finished in the top 10 in the NFL in yards per punt or net yards per punt (Justin Vogel finished ninth in net in 2017). The Packers have cycled through five primary punters over the last seven years, all falling near the bottom of the league in these two key categories.
Pat O'Donnell was not the answer last year, as he ranked 29th in yards/punt and 31st in net yards/punt. The 10th-year man will face competition from Daniel Whelan, an Irish-born punter out of UC-Davis who played in the XFL this spring for the D.C. Defenders. Whelan averaged 45.6 yards/punt — a full yard better than O'Donnell did in 2022, with 11 of his 29 punters ending up inside the 20. Even if Whelen does not beat out O'Donnell, the Packers would be smart to look elsewhere for a punter, meaning O'Donnell could be shopped on the trading block.
