Packers: Top 3 questions entering the preseason
By Nile McNair
Three questions for the Green Bay Packers as preseason begins.
After a disappointing 2017 season which saw the Green Bay Packers miss the playoffs, the team is looking to bounce back in 2018. Winning the NFC North is the goal, but securing a playoff spot in general should be the focus.
The NFC is loaded with talent, and every game will be a battle for the Packers. Almost every team in the NFC has a quality starting quarterback and are capable of winning games. Ten wins will perhaps only grant a team a wild-card spot.
When Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury last year, the Packers’ lack of talent got exposed. Before Green Bay can be considered real contenders, it needs to answer some question marks regarding their roster.
Here are three questions entering preseason.
1. Will injuries be a problem this season?
Each season, injuries derail a team’s chances of being contenders. For the Packers, it seems to happen more often than not. On the 2010 Super Bowl team, Green Bay had seven starters on injured reserve. Not to mention Charles Woodson, the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, got injured during the Super Bowl.
Both in 2013 and last season, Rodgers missed over half the year, basically ruining the Packers’ chances of being successful.
The depth on both the offensive and defensive lines is very questionable. If the starters go down with injuries on either of those units, their replacements are young and unproven.
In the back-end with the safeties, an injury to star Ha Ha Clinton-Dix would be detrimental. Clinton-Dix is the best secondary member Green Bay has.
Former second-round pick Josh Jones needs to avoid injury for two reasons. First, this is Jones’ first year as a starter, and him being on the field is crucial to his development. Additionally, Jones’ backup Kentrell Brice was carted off and is recovering from an ankle injury.
Starting linebacker Jake Ryan will miss the season with a torn ACL. Hopefully Ryan’s injury isn’t a sign of things to come, and Green Bay can move forward without worrying about who will be able to play.