Why we should limit expectations for Packers in 2023

Like many Green Bay Packers fans, I am eagerly awaiting September 10 to watch the team take on the Chicago Bears in Solider Field.

However, with all this excitement surrounding our offseason and now leaking into the regular season, there needs to be some restraint on the expectations going into this season.

The 2023 Packers are the youngest team in the National Football League with a team average age of 24.9 years old, which is not only the youngest team this year, but the youngest team over the last six seasons.

Having such a young team is not necessarily going to be the reason the Packers struggle in 2023, but it could be a reason that the team can't bounce back from adversity when they run into it this season.

The Packers teams over the last four years have been littered with aging vets, from Marcedes Lewis, Randall Cobb, Tramon Williams, and Adrian Amos, just to name a few. Having vets is important not only for player development, but for keeping the young guys calm in the face of adversity.

We saw the importance of losing a vet last season when the Packers traded star wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. Although the team still had Randall Cobb on the roster, having someone at the top of their game on the team with the skill group made up of mostly rookies would have done a great deed to help the young receiver room develop faster last season.

Packers inexperience could cost them in 2023

This could be a problem this year as well, but in the tight end room. Green Bay drafted two rookie tight ends, Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, who are being expected to take over as the number one and two options at the position.

However, the Packers lost both Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis this offseason to the Chicago Bears, making Josiah Deguara the "veteran" tight end on the Packers. Who knows how the two rookies will develop, but not having someone who has played a lot of meaningful snaps at their position on the team could be a problem if they are slow to develop.

Having a young team may not be the reason the team doesn't succeed, but it could be the reason that the Packers struggle for parts of the season. How will the team react to their first long road stretch of the season? How about the cold-weather games late in the season?

There are lots of different things that can occur during the length of the regular season, and not having veterans who have been grinding their entire professional careers in the league can result in some problems if the team is not careful.

As we approach Week 1, remember Packers fans, the team has a first-year starter at quarterback, the whole receiving room are on rookie deals, and among the only vets on offense are David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones.

If you are going into the season expecting the number 1 seed and a deep run in the post-season, you need to temper your expectations. Just sit back and enjoy the first season in a long time where we shouldn't expect the best.

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