The 2023 offseason has an obviously different feel to it now that Aaron Rodgers is no longer with the Green Bay Packers.

It's an exciting feeling, though, and not because Rodgers is gone. Change is always intriguing. Now, will it be as exciting if the Packers have a bad year? Of course, not.

But for now, it's a fun time to pay attention to this team. There are questions all over the roster, but the good part is there are plenty of talented players to answer said questions.

10 Thoughts as Packers Mandatory Minicamp Begins

All eyes on Jordan Love

Love’s offseason is easily the biggest topic over the next couple of months. 

So far, it seems like the Packers have a good process with Love. They're tailoring the offense around what he does best and they drafted two very athletic tight ends that should bring a different dynamic to the offense, as a whole. 

Love has also developed a really nice connection with second-year wideout Romeo Doubs, which is big for obvious reasons. Overall, things are sounding promising, even if it's still only June. Each practice session gives us a better idea of what Love can do in 2023 and this week is no different.

Experimenting with the offensive line

The left side of the line is good to go with David Bakhtiari at left tackle and Elgton Jenkins at left guard. From center-on, however, is a bit of a question mark, even if there are guys like Josh Myers, John Runyan, and Yosh Nijman in the mix. 

A lot of that is because Packers coaches have been very adamant about shuffling guys around in order to get the best five on the field. The offense -namely Love- needs the offensive line to have a good year in order to succeed. So, it makes sense the coaches are using this process at this time of year.

“We’ve got a lot of competition on the right side, whether it’s right guard, right tackle or even center,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said before the start of OTAs. “We’re just going to go out there and put these guys in different spots.



“Getting those best five out there that jell the best and are the most physical, that’s what I’m looking for.”

This also falls in line with the Packers' history of cross-training guys at multiple positions up front. Don't be surprised if the rotation/shuffling goes all the way up until the start of the regular season.

Young receivers battling for reps

Christian Watson and Doubs are obviously WR1 and WR2 and that’s not necessarily in respective order. Second-year Samori Toure showed flashes of promise last year, but, beyond that, it’s nothing but youth and inexperience.

Granted, it's talented youth, so that certainly helps offset the inexperience. Second-round draft pick Jayden Reed is the early favorite to win the WR3/WR4 spot. He'll compete with Toure for the slot position and that is easily one of the battles to really pay attention to over the next few days.

Rookie Dontayvion Wicks is another name to watch and then there's about a handful of guys behind him in Jeff Cotton, Bo Melton, Grant DuBose, and others. 

In all, there are a lot of names and due to the Packers' increased usage of 12-personnel, there aren't many spots. That always makes for a good time.

More 12-personnel, please

Rookie tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft give the Packers an athletic duo they haven’t had in quite some time.

It makes a lot of sense for this offense to run more 12-personnel in 2023 and these two will be a big part of that. They still have to beat out Josiah Deguara and Austin Allen for the top spots, however, and they will get the opportunities to do so.

It's not just watching those two, either. It'll be cool to see how often the Packers run 12 and how creative they are in doing so. There are multiple layers, here, and they should only get deeper as the summer days pass.

Devonte Wyatt, Kenny Clark and a young defensive line

Clark and Wyatt are the two incumbents on the outside of the defensive line, but who will man the nose? T.J. Slaton is a good start, but he’ll certainly have competition from Jonathan Ford and Chris Slayton.

The backup positions behind Wyatt and Clark will be just as interesting to watch, as well. Colby Wooden has been on record about moving all around the defensive line, which is great because the Packers -like most teams- will be in their subpackages more than base defense, which matches up quicker, more athletic players like Wooden and fellow rookie Karl Brooks on guards and centers. That allows the pass rush to get to the quarterback even quicker, which is obviously a good thing.

There are a lot of moving parts involved with this position group and it's going to be fun seeing the initial product.

Lukas Van Ness and the outside linebackers

The Athletic‘s Matt Schneidman recently wrote he wouldn’t be surprised if Rashan Gary is ready to go by Week 1. It’ll be interesting to see what/if he does anything this week.

Outside of Gary, it's obvious first-round rookie Lukas Van Ness is a guy to watch this week. Clark recently said Van Ness is going to be a problem in the NFL, so maybe we'll get a taste of that. Second-year player Kingsley Enagbare is looking to build off an OK 3.0 sack campaign as a rookie and he's not going to back down from the challenge Van Ness represents. 

If Gary is on track to be ready by Week 1, it's highly unlikely the Packers carry five edge rushers on the 53-man roster. But, keep an eye on undrafted free agent Brenton Cox Jr. If that kid's head is on straight, he could easily force himself into the EDGE competition. His path to wrecking the party starts this week.

Can Keisean Nixon win the nickel job?

The cornerback room is set with Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander and veteran Rasul Douglas on the outside, but the nickel job is currently unsettled.

Nixon will get the first crack at the job. After that, Shemar Jean-Charles and Tyrell Ford will compete for reps. 

Nixon has the skillset -and the work ethic/attitude- to win the job. It makes total sense the Packers are trying to find more ways to get the explosive playmaker on the field, too.

Loaded battle for the starting safety job opposite Darnell Savage

It’s unclear as to who will win the starting safety spot opposite Savage, but there are four main candidates in the incumbent Rudy Ford, free agent pickups Jonathan Owens and Tavarius Moore, and seventh-round rookie Anthony Johnson Jr.

Right now, Ford is probably the leading candidate, but don't rule out any of the other three. Special teams ace Dallin Leavitt is also in the mix, but he's good to go unless his special teams play falls off.

In other words: There are four names fighting for about two spots, so it'll be key to see how reps are divyyed up in camp.

The Anders Carlson era begins. Or does it?

The Packers haven’t added another kicker since cutting Parker White a few weeks back. That doesn’t mean they’ll forgo adding competition, but right now, the job is Carlson’s to lose. 

But, a bad day could easily cause the Packers to bring in another guy. The team's roster currently sits at 90 players. That's a very flexible number, however, because there are two punters and two longsnappers on the roster. So, there is an easy route getting to the 89 players needed to add another kicker.

Can Sean Clifford keep chasing down Danny Etling?

Clifford has had a good offseason so far and it’s been good enough to where he’s on track to beat out Danny Etling for the No. 2 job behind Jordan Love.

We'll see if he can keep the momentum rolling this week. He'll certainly have plenty of chances to do so.

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There are some other stories to watch such as Tariq Carpenter at inside linebacker and if Lew Nichols III can work his way into the top portion of the running back rotation. In all, there will be plenty to chew on as the Packers get one step closer to the regular season.

Featured image via MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL / USA TODAY NETWORK