The Green Bay Packers have fallen to 2-4 after embarrassing losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos, what’s next? Some Packers fans want Head Coach Matt Lafleur’s “seat” to heat up a bit. Other fans want Jordan Loved replaced this offseason. Ultimately neither of these things should actually happen yet, and they most likely won’t.
Strictly speaking, this team is bad because of its roster. There are too many players who can’t stay healthy, and there aren’t any true playmakers on offense that can help out their young QB. Aaron Jones is the closest they have to a dynamic veteran at an offensive skill position, and he has struggled to stay in the lineup during what may be his final year as a Green Bay Packer. Ultimately this team’s woes fall on the shoulders of general manager Brian Gutekunst, but we all knew this wasn’t some championship caliber roster.
Is Jordan Love the Answer?
The most honest analysis on Jordan Love is this; we simply do not know if he is the answer at QB. He needs to show more fight in the first half of games, but his receivers and head coach do too. The Packers have almost certainly always seen this as a year to evaluate their roster and see who’s worth keeping around, but I wouldn’t expect a decision on Love to be so hasty. Unless the Packers somehow end up in a position to select Caleb Williams, I’d expect Love to be the starter in 2024.
It is hard to imagine that the Packers will be too enticed by any number of available quarterbacks in the first round. Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Quinn Ewers, and Michael Penix Jr. may all be worthwhile first round talents, but none of them appear to be worthy of Brian Gutekunst bailing on the biggest pick of his career as Green Bay’s GM.
Expect the Packers to do the unexpected in the first round, maybe an offensive tackle, maybe a defensive lineman, probably not a wide receiver, but you get the point. Green Bay’s front office certainly sees this offseason as an opportunity to stock up through their draft, especially with an extra second round pick coming from the New York Jets.
How Long is Love’s “Evaluation Period?”
Ultimately, 2024 is when Love’s spot as the starting QB will start to reasonably be called into question by Green Bay’s front office. Weapons on the team will have had their time to learn the ins and outs of the offense, and hopefully begin to gel with their QB. This will give everyone a better opportunity to assess whether or not Love can be what he needs to be.
As for now, we all have to watch a young offense struggle to solidify an identity as the Packers fall further and further out of the playoff race. Ultimately, this team’s struggles do not fall on any single player or staff member. A more modest approach of slowly weeding out whatever isn’t working is likely the direction we’ll see the Packers go, and whether or not that’s good enough is unfortunately yet to be seen.
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Zack is a college student and cheesehead from California. When he’s not in class or writing, you can find him talking about the Packers on Twitter at @Zack_Upchurch.
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