The Green Bay Packers enter the 2023 NFL season in an unusual position, as they prepare just their third different Week 1 quarterback in the last 32 seasons.
Aaron Rodgers is a New York Jet, meaning the Jordan Love era is finally here. Love inherits an 8-9 team with a new-look group of receivers plus a strong running game and a solid defense.
With the NFL Draft in the rearview mirror and most of the big-name free agents already locked down, here's a look at the Packers' projected starters for the 2023 NFL season.
Green Bay Packers depth chart
Backfield
QB: Jordan Love
With Aaron Rodgers in New York, the fourth-year signal-caller is now the de facto starter in Titletown. There are already questions about his future in Green Bay, as the front office did not pick up his fifth-year option but did sign him to a one-year extension, which keeps Love on the roster through 2024.
Love's backup is rookie Sean Clifford, who is almost four months older than the man he will be learning from.
RB: Aaron Jones
Coach Matt LaFleur has regularly referred to the Packers' backfield duo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon as a 1A and 1B setup, rather than one being the outright starter. This description has held true over the last two years, with the quicker Jones earning 11 more carriers than the more powerful Dillon. Expect the duo to continue to split snaps in 2023.
Wide Receivers
WR1: Christian Watson
WR2: Romeo Doubs
WR3: Jaylen Reed
Three of the Packers' top five wideouts from last season are no longer on the roster, leaving Jordan Love a trio of pass-catchers all 24 years old or younger.
After starting slowly in his rookie year, Watson demonstrated promise with seven touchdowns in a four-game span in the middle of the season. Doubs and Reed also have bright futures, but this inexperienced corps will need to grow up fast in 2023.
TE: Luke Musgrave
The rookie from Oregon State immediately occupies the spot left by Robert Tonyan (now in Chicago). After missing most of his senior year at OSU with a knee injury, Musgrave demonstrated great athleticism at the NFL Combine. He has the potential to be a long-term starter in Green Bay.
Offensive Line
LT: David Bakhtiari
LG: Elgton Jenkins
C: Josh Myers
RG: Jon Runyan
RT: Yosh Nijman
This unit remains unchanged from last year, a positive sign for Jordan Love, because it was a good one. The Packers allowed the seventh-fewest sacks per game and were borderline top-10 in yards per carry during the 2022 season. Bakhtiari and Jenkins are both former Pro Bowlers, while Royce Newman (22 starts over the last two seasons) provides key depth off the bench.
Defensive Line
DE: Kenny Clark
NT: T.J. Slaton
DE: Devonte Wyatt
Veteran Kenny Clark is the only returning starting from a front three that was porous against the run last year — giving up 200-plus yards on the ground in three games. Slaton and Wyatt step into the starting lineup after spending 2022 as reserves, and the current backups offer little NFL experience.
Linebackers
LOLB: Preston Smith
LILB: De'Vondre Campbell
RILB: Quay Walker
ROLB: Rashan Gary
Perhaps the strongest positional group of the Packers' defense, all four starting linebackers return from a season ago. Quay Walker led this unit — and tied a Packers rookie record — with 121 total tackles, but he needs to become more consistent in his sophomore season.
Such is the talent of the Green Bay linebackers that 2023 first-round pick Lucas Van Ness is not yet projected into the starting lineup.
Secondary
CB: Jaire Alexander
SS: Jonathan Owens
FS: Darnell Savage
CB: Rasul Douglas
A young group that faced considerable criticism at time, this Packers secondary ended the year as the sixth-best passing defense and the NFL. The Green and Gold are led by Second-Team All-Pro Jaire Alexander, who had five interceptions and 14 passes defended. Pro Football Focus also ranks him as the best single-coverage corner in the NFL since 2019.
The addition of Jonathan Owens, one of the very few free-agent signings made by the Packers this year, gives Green Bay a solid replacement for the hard-hitting Adrian Amos.
Jaire Alexander is 🔒⬇️ pic.twitter.com/b9ETa3A2q8
— PFF (@PFF) May 11, 2023
Special Teams
PK: Anders Carlson
P: Pat O'Donnell
LS: Matt Orzech
KR: Keisean Nixon
PR: Jayden Reed
With the addition of Auburn kicker Anders Carlson in the sixth round, Mason Crosby's time in Green Bay appears to be all but over.
Carlson was a surprise choice given that he hit just 71.3% of his collegiate field goal attempts and that the Packers used a draft pick on him. Parker White, a rookie out of South Carolina, is his competition for the time being.
In the return game, Keisean Nixon earned All-Pro honors after his midseason breakout. He gives Green Bay its first dangerous kick returner in recent memory.
Follow Us
Subscribe