Weaknesses
The Green Bay Packers have one of the best rosters in football. As much as some (Bears and Vikings) fans might not want to believe it, it is true. Which leads me to my next, what may seem contradictory, statement. The team has issues with depth.
How can a team have one the best rosters in football but have issues with depth? Simple. The starters are just that good. For a team that churned out a 53-man roster that had 27 new faces on it last weekend, 17 of 22 starters have returned. But, at positions where there are new starters, the Packers have upgraded.
There are concerns about depth at a couple of specific positions. First, inside linebacker. This is not even to the fault of rookie general manager Brian Gutekunst. Incumbent starting linebacker Jake Ryan tore his ACL early in training camp. Rookie linebacker Oren Burks had stepped up into the role of starting linebacker and was flashing before suffering a shoulder injury in the pre-game warmups of the team’s Week 3 preseason game. After trading for linebacker Antonio Morrison, there appears to be a band-aid in place until Burks can return. But, after Martinez and Morrison on the depth charts, there isn’t much to like.
There are also questions about the quality of play that this team could get from a possible backup offensive tackle. Third-year pro Jason Spriggs has failed to develop like the team had hoped he would. Brian Bulaga is coming off of an ACL tear and is constantly battling injuries. When healthy, Bahktiari and Bulaga are one of the best duos of offensive tackles in the entire NFL. But, specifically for Bulaga, this has become a big question mark. If Spriggs is unable to fill the void as a backup tackle, Green Bay could find themselves experimenting with players at two of the most critical positions on the football field.
Moving back to the defense, there are also concerns about the safety position. With Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, there are questions about his inconsistent play and whether the former first-round pick will be able to correct the course in a contract year. There are also big question marks about the safety who will play opposite of Clinton-Dix. Who will the safety be? What will their role be? These are questions that will need to be answered as the season goes on.
The final weakness in Green Bay is the return game. There is no clear winner as to who fields kick and punt returns come Week 1. The casual observer could assume that the role will be filled by wide receiver Trevor Davis who appears to be on the roster solely for this reason. However, Davis only played in one preseason game and struggled. On top of that, he has been dealing with injuries. Nobody else has been able to step up and take control of the returner role on this team.
