Green Bay Packers season is here, sort of, mini-camp began Monday and everyone with the exception of Allen Lazard is in attendance, including Aaron Rodgers, who gets to begin work with his new stable of wide receivers. The buzz is picking up already and we’re beginning to get excited for what the season holds. That said, we each picked two players, one on offense, one on defense, that we are excited for this upcoming Packers season.
Tyler:
Offense: Aaron Jones: With Davante Adams traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Green Bay Packers offense has 169 targets vacated from their offense. While all the buzz is on the new draft picks Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samari Toure, or veterans Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb, or young guys returning like Amari Rodgers, one name that gets left out of the conversation. One player that, with his versatile skill set, could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Adams’ departure, and that is Aaron Jones.
According to Rotowire, Aaron Jones took 105 snaps at a wide receiver position last season, a number that I would expect to dramatically increase as the Packers look to keep defenses on their toes and get AJ Dillon on the field more as well. I think with his rushing ability and pass catching ability, paired with more potential work in passing situations that Aaron Jones could eclipse 1,500 total yards.
Defense: Quay Walker: You would have to go back to 2006 to find the last time the Green Bay Packers drafted an interior linebacker in the first round, AJ Hawk. It was reported on Tuesday that Quay Walker was taking reps with the first team defense, meaning Quay is already getting the opportunity to compete for the other starting middle linebacker job next to All-Pro De'Vondre Campbell. I am excited to see if Walker can win that job. Joe Barry said during OTAs that the prospect of working with draft picks Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt gets him to “spring out of bed and sprint to the office knowing they’re going to be here.” Hearing a comment like that from the Linebacker Whisperer Joe Barry gives me a lot of confidence in Walker. A tackling machine, Walker converted 97% of his tackles at Georgia last season. I believe that if Walker wins the starting job he will essentially function as a bigger, taller, faster and more efficient version of Krys Barnes, who did improve towards the end of last season, and if he continues improving, gives the defense more depth to keep guys fresh throughout games and the season.
Simon:
Jaire Alexander: Alexander suffered an A/C joint injury in a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 5, he was then placed on IR and missed the last 13 weeks of the regular season. While he did suit up and play against the San Francisco 49ers, he only ended up playing eight snaps on defense and not recording any numbers in the box score. Let’s roll back to the 2020 season where he was PFF 1st team all pro and Associated Press Second Team all pro and was widely recognized as one of the best at his position. In a recent packers.com article, Mark Murphy said “With regard to the injury, our doctors have cleared him to play and don’t think it will affect him going forward. A shoulder injury is typically not one that will affect a cornerback’s play long-term.” This sentiment was backed up by the Packers handing him a four-year $84 Million deal. I think I speak for all Packers fans when I say I'm looking forward to him being back on the field locking down opposing wide receivers.
David Bakhtiari: This is a little bit of a different story. I think a lot of packer fans are upset with Bakhtiari almost playing no football last year, and I get it. New Years eve 2020, Bakhtiari suffered an unfortunate ACL injury in practice and would end his season and any chance to play in the playoffs. A lot of fans were hopeful he would make his way onto the field sometime in the 2021 season. No surprise he started his season on the PUP list, automatically sidelining him for 6 weeks. After a while, it was revealed there were a lot of set-backs that included swelling, fluid build-up, and additional damage. It seemed like the Packers were going to try and allow him to play in week 18, he suited up against the Detroit Lions and played only 27 snaps. We would not see him in the playoffs. Going into mini-camp, Coach Lefluer sounds hopeful that Bakhtiari will be back for training camp. In 2020, the year he suffered his torn ACL, Bakhtiari was voted to the pro bowl and was Associated Press First-Team All-Pro.
All-in-all, barring any more setbacks, getting two elite players back on a team that already looks poised to make another playoff run behind a solid defense and back-to-back MVP Quarterback, is what excites me the most.
Jake:
Offense- AJ Dillon: Dillon became a fan favorite in Green Bay, because of his ability to do it all. Coming off a season in which he had 187 rush att, 803 yards, and 5 TDs. Dillon also massively improved as a pass catcher 34 receptions for 313 yards and 2 TDs. His ability to be a dual threat is what makes me most excited going into his 3rd season overall but 2nd season as a major piece of this offense without all the targets Davante Adams received. 2022 could be a monster year for AJ. My projections: 210 rush attempts for 1,008 yards and 7 TDs, 47 receptions for 446.5 yards and 3 TDs.
Defense-Eric Stokes: Stokes has blazing speed, he ran a 4.36 40-yard dash coming out of Georgia and due to an injury to All-pro Jaire Alexander, Stokes was forced into some tough matchups as the team's number one corner for the majority of his rookie season. Matchups including Deebo Samuel, Dionte Johnson, Terry Mclaurin, and Justin Jefferson just to name a few. Stokes was great considering the learning curve most rookies face. Despite the challenges Stokes had 55 tackles, 14 passes defended, and 1 int. Only giving up on average of about 30 yards per game on 5.6 targets. I'm excited for year 2 of Stokes and this Joe Barry defense with an improved front 7 will allow Stokes to use his speed to jump some routes. With Jaire Alexander healthy that means teams may force feed Stokes side of the field. My projections for Eric Stokes: 51 tackles, 13 passes defended and 6 interceptions.
Bryant:
Defensive Player I am excited about: Rashan Gary: At just 24 years old, Rashan Gary has shown steady improvement each year, and likely hasn’t even reached his prime yet. Last year was Gary’s first year as a starter, and he showed he can be a premier pass rusher in the league by finishing tied 17th overall with 9.5 sacks and 2nd overall in total pressures with 81; he added another 2 sacks in Green Bay’s lone playoff game. 17th overall may not seem impressive, but eight of his sacks came in the final 10 games of the season, and if you include the playoff game, he finished the last 11 games of the season with 10 sacks. Rashan Gary will likely see even more double teams than he did last year, but with Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, and Devonte Wyatt, opposing offenses will be forced to “pick their poison.” Gary has shown steady, consistent improvement, and there is no reason to think he slows down heading into a contract year. His ability to pressure the QB while also supporting the running game will be vital to the Packers defensive success in 2022.
Season Prediction: 13.5 Sacks (good for top 10 in the league), 4 Forced Fumbles, and 1 Interception.
Offensive Player I am excited about: Josiah Deguara: This pick isn’t as sexy as my defensive player pick, but I think Deguara has a chance to play an important role on Green Bay’s offense in both the running and passing game. Without having a bonafide number one receiver on the team, Green Bay will be an offense by committee, and that’s where he can step in for the passing game. Deguara was hurt early in his rookie year, so last year was essentially his “rookie” year, and TE’s traditionally take longer to develop. Although Deguara didn't flash in the first seven games of the 2021 season, he stepped up and produced when given the opportunity. Starting with the Arizona game when Robert Tonyan was hurt, Deguara had at least two catches in every game for the rest of the year. The yardage output was never huge, but Deguara’s production was on par with what Tonyan was giving the Green Bay for the first seven weeks of the season. Deguara finished the final 10 games of the season with 237 yards and 2 TDs, posting a catch rate of 74% (higher than Tonyan’s) with 39% of those catches producing a 1st down. So, although Deguara won’t put up huge numbers, he can become a nice safety net for Rodgers while contributing to the committee approach.
Deguara will also continue to be a key piece in the running game, something Matt Lafleur demands of everyone in his system if they want to play. Last fall, then Packers Tight End Coach Justin Outten commented on Deguara’s importance to the running game, saying “he was a big part of why we are able to run some more gap scheme and get downhill.” Deguara should see plenty of the field, especially if Tonyan starts the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. I expect Deguara to carve out a nice role for himself and hold onto it for the season.
Season Prediction: 35 Receptions, 400 Yards, 4 Touchdowns, and plenty of great blocks that won’t show up on the stat sheet.
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