5 Burning Questions For The Green Bay Packers’ Offense

The Green Bay Packers ranked No. 5 in total offense last season.

They were fifth in rushing offense, 12^th in passing offense and eighth in points per game (27.1).

On paper, those numbers are certainly impressive.

Down the stretch, though, Green Bay’s offense went into hibernation. The Packers scored just 10 points in their playoff loss to Philadelphia, and they averaged just 19.0 points per outing during their season-ending three-game losing streak.

Green Bay also started slow in big games, which was a major reason it went 0-6 against Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota — the teams with the best records in the NFC. All of that led to a frustrating ending for a team that began the year 11-4 before settling for an 11-7 finish.

“As a team, we need to wake up,” Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said at the end of the 2024 campaign.

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t arguing.

“I think collectively, we have to be better, and I expect better,” LaFleur said. “We performed at a pretty high level a majority of the season and then took a dive.”

The Packers begin training camp on Wednesday, and seemingly have plenty of talent to rebound and make a deep playoff run. For that to happen, though, they’ll need positive answers to these five questions on offense.

1. Can Jordan Love become elite?

When the 2023 season ended, it looked like Love would be a star for years to come. Love threw 37 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions that season, and in the second half of the year had a stretch where he threw a remarkable 23 TDs and just one interception.

Love didn’t regress in 2024, but he also didn’t take the type of step up many expected.

Love threw 25 TDs, 11 interceptions and had a 96.7 passer rating, while missing 2 ½ games due to injury. Love ranked 19^th in passing yards (3,389) and completed 63.1% of his passes.

Love had a passer rating of at least 107.7 in five straight games between Weeks 11-15, but was at 92.0, or less, the last four contests.

Love then threw three interceptions in Green Bay’s loss to Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card game and had a season-low passer rating of 41.5.

“I mean, what is a step back is what I’d ask?” Love said when asked if he regressed in 2024. “Everybody has different opinions, things like that. You gotta block that stuff out. It’s all about the goals of the team at the end of the day. I’d say we won more games than we did the year before. That’s why I ask people what is a step back?”

There are 34 quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl. Fifteen are in the Hall of Fame and eight others are locks or likely entrees when they become eligible (Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning and Russell Wilson).

You don’t need to have an MVP-level quarterback to win a Super Bowl, but it sure makes life easier. Love has all the skills to become elite, but faces a critical year in his development.

“I think he is an ascending player that is going to get better and better and better,” LaFleur said of Love.

Time is of the essence.

2. Do the Packers need a No. 1 wide receiver?

The simple answer is no.

Green Bay does need its wide receivers to play like they did in 2023, though, instead of the group that finished third in the NFL last year with 33 dropped passes.

“That’s something that we took a deep dive at,” LaFleur said of Green Bay’s drops. “We had a ton of drops, and that’s an area that we have to clean up.”

Green Bay’s receiver group also failed to match their 2023 productivity levels.

Jayden Reed led the Packers with 64 catches and 793 receiving yards in 2023, and also tied for the team lead with eight touchdown catches. Reed then had 55 catches and six TD grabs last year, and had seven games with two receptions, or less.

Romeo Doubs had a sensational postseason in 2023 with 10 receptions, 234 yards and two TDs in two games. Naturally, many expected Doubs to build on those impressive numbers last year.

Instead, Doubs saw his receptions (46), receiving yards (601) and TDs (four) all dip from the previous year. Doubs was also placed on the reserve/suspended list and missed Green Bay’s Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams after going AWOL earlier that week.

Dontayvion Wicks looked like a future star when he caught 39 passes for 581 yards and four TDs as a rookie in 2023. In 2024, Wicks led the Packers in targets (76), but was just fourth in receptions (39) and fifth in receiving yards (415). His catch rate of 51.3% was the second worst in football among wideouts. And his drop rate of 18.75% was also the second worst in football.

Green Bay used its first round draft pick on receiver Matthew Golden and a third rounder on wideout Savion Williams. Both will get a chance to play immediately, especially if the returnees can’t regain their 2023 form.

“I think it will be great competition and certainly we’re excited to see what these young guys’ roles will be,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

3. Will the ground game be even better?

The Packers ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (146.8), sixth in yards per carry (4.7) and fifth in rushing attempts (30.9) last season.

Don’t be shocked if those numbers go up.

Green Bay ran the ball on 52.3% of its plays last season — the first time the Packers ran the ball more than they threw it since 2003 (51.7%). Then Green Bay got bigger up front by signing 325-pound guard Aaron Banks, drafting guard Anthony Belton (6-6, 335) and moving guard Elgton Jenkins to center.

“We’ve got to find a balance because we have so many playmakers, you know?” Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs said. “We have playmakers at wide receiver. Obviously playmakers at tight end. And obviously running backs, too. So it’s like, we’ve got to find a perfect balance of getting everybody the ball.”

Jacobs will touch the ball plenty.

Jacobs finished sixth in the NFL in rushing yards last season (1,329), averaged 4.4 yards per carry and had 16 total touchdowns (15 rushing). His 301 carries were also the sixth-most in franchise history.

“The guy is a dawg,” Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans said of Jacobs. “He’s been everything that we would hope for and definitely the engine for us offensively.”

Emanuel Wilson (502 yards, 4.9 per carry) had a solid season as the Packers’ No. 2 back last year. And MarShawn Lloyd — a 2024 third round draft pick who played in just one game last year due to injury — could provide a lift.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of high expectations for him because he brings a different blend to our offense just with his speed and quickness,” Sirmans said of Lloyd. “I’m pretty pleased with him so far.”

4. Who will be LEFT standing?

One of the more fascinating battles of training camp will be second year player Jordan Morgan trying to dislodge two-year starter Rasheed Walker from the left tackle position.

Walker led the Packers in offensive snaps last year (1,075) and played reasonably well. Walker allowed a respectable three sacks, but he had far too many penalties (nine) and allowed too many pressures (35).

“I think Rasheed’s done a lot of really, really good things for us,” Gutekunst said. “I don’t think he necessarily needs to show anything. Like anything, you’ve got to continue to play at a high level. We’re going to have a lot of competition there.”

Morgan, Green Bay’s first round draft pick in 2024, played in just six games last season before going on the injured reserve list Nov. 16 with a shoulder injury. Morgan, a left tackle at Arizona State, split snaps at right guard with Sean Rhyan early last season, but will be moved back to left tackle in camp.

Walker has been serviceable the past two seasons, but will be a free agent after the 2025 campaign ends. So if Morgan wins the job, it could benefit Green Bay in both the short and long term.

Walker won’t be easy to unseat, though. And the Packers aren’t going to simply hand Morgan the job based on his lofty draft status and Walker’s likely exit in free agency.

“It’s going to be a great competition,” LaFleur said. “(Morgan) and Sheed are going to battle it out and hopefully push each other to be that much better.”

5. Is Tucker Kraft the next big thing?

Tucker Kraft, a third round draft pick from South Dakota State in 2023, looked lost in training camp and for much of his rookie season. Today, he’s emerging as one of the league’s best tight ends and should be featured more in the passing game than his first two years.

Kraft was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2024 after starting all 17 games and finishing second on the team in receptions (50) and yards (707). Kraft also led the Packers with seven receiving touchdowns.

Kraft’s 707 receiving yards last year were the most by a Packer tight end since Jermichael Finley (767) in 2011. Kraft’s average of 9.1 yards after the catch was also tops among all NFL tight ends and the second-best mark since 2000, trailing only San Francisco’s George Kittle (9.9) in 2018.

Kraft is a tireless worker who wants to win as badly as anyone in the building. He’s also developed into a leader rather quickly.

“I want to be the guy in Year 3,” Kraft said. “I have goals and aspirations.”

Finley holds the Packers’ record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (61) and Paul Coffman holds the mark for receiving yards in a season (814). Don’t be surprised if Kraft surpasses both of those numbers this year.

“When Tuck gets the ball, usually good things happen,” LaFleur said. “He’s a powerful dude, he runs extremely hard, I love how he finishes.

“One thing I think he’s got to learn, just in terms of when he does finish, he doesn’t have to try to take somebody’s head off every time. He gets a little out of control at times. But I think that’s a balance, but the mentality is exactly what you want.”