3 Packers on rookie deals battling for their future with the team in 2024

As the Green Bay Packers roll into the 2024 season with Jordan Love officially "the guy" for the foreseeable future after signing a four-year, $220 million extension, the team has elevated expectations to be a Super Bowl contender.

On the offensive side of the ball, the young Packers will look relatively the same, minus Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari. With Christian Watson making significant strides to shore up past injuries, Josh Jacobs coming into the fold, four of five offensive line starters returning from last season, and the remaining core of pass catchers all developing nicely this preseason, the Packers offense has the potential to become a top unit in the league.

On the flip side, with new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley stepping in for his first season, it remains to be seen how that unit will improve after three underperforming seasons with Joe Barry calling the shots. With new additions like Xavier McKinney, Javon Bullard, and Edgerrin Cooper, the talent is unquestioned.

But for the Packers to reach their full potential this season, a few young players will have elevated expectations to "take the next step" in their development as they approach second contract talks.

Packers on rookie deals who are under pressure this season

Devonte Wyatt

After the Packers selected Devonte Wyatt 22nd overall in the 2022 draft, there inherently were high expectations from Day 1. However, Wyatt's career has so far been plagued by a frequent inability to finish plays and being a liability against the run.

Wyatt flashes as a 300-pound player who can seamlessly burst into the backfield or make a chase-down tackle, and it's true that his Year 3 could be massive. For Wyatt's sake, this must be the season he puts it all together.

With more playing time in 2023, Wyatt was disruptive as a pass rusher, marking an impressive 80.4 PFF pass-rush grade while leading all defensive linemen drafted in 2022 in pass-rush win rate (16.1%) and pressures (45) during the 2023 season.

However, last season also saw the rapid emergence of Karl Brooks, T.J. Slaton, and even Colby Wooden, who looked promising in limited snaps. Together, they consumed over 1,200 snaps across the interior defensive line where Wyatt plays. The Packers also locked in Kenny Clark to an extension this offseason to remain the anchor of the defensive line.

Wyatt's inability to shed or control his gap against the run was a glaring contributor to why the Packers allowed over 200 yards rushing in four contests last season and why Slaton ultimately drew more total snaps than Wyatt. On more obvious running downs, it became evident Wyatt needed to be off the field while Slaton picked up the slack—which he did.

The hope is that Hafley's scheme will better position Wyatt to maximize his freakish skillset for a human of his size while leveraging Clark's abilities to kick outside of Wyatt. And it should from what we've learned about Hafley being a more 4-3-based defense compared to Barry's 3-4.

Josh Myers

Josh Myers enters the last season of his rookie deal without any future in Green Bay yet secured. Another example of a player who has been too inconsistent throughout his rookie contract, Myers faces an uphill battle to land an extension with the Packers.

To make matters worse for Myers, the Kansas City Chiefs just signed Creed Humphrey— selected one pick after Myers—to a record-setting contract for a center.

But when you step away from the looming shadow of Humphrey, Myers clocks in as a high-IQ player who doesn't commit many penalties (six penalties in 2023), and despite allowing too many pressures last season (14), he hardly is credited with allowing a sack. To Myers's credit, he finished with the sixth-highest pass block win percentage of all interior offensive linemen in 2023 (94%).

However, because of continued inconsistencies as a run blocker, Myers has only posted PFF grades of 54.9, 61.1, and 54.7 in three NFL seasons—well below average numbers for a center, which will certainly give Green Bay pause about extending him another deal.

With Love fresh off a record-setting deal and Jacobs in town to take the handoffs, it will be imperative that Myers has his best season yet in 2024 as the Packers look to take the next step toward Super Bowl contention.

Isaiah McDuffie

Regarding a future on the Packers' roster, the writing could already be on the wall for Isaiah McDuffie. Entering the final year of his rookie contract after the team used early draft capital on Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper, McDuffie will find himself in a weekly battle for playing time.

However, having played under Hafley at Boston College, McDuffie is the only player on the roster who is immediately familiar with the intricacies of the scheme.

Due to injuries to Quay Walker and De'Vondre Campbell last season, McDuffie started a career-high eight games, finished second on the Packers with 82 total tackles, and recorded five tackles for loss.

He proved to be an effective tackler, a force against the run, and finished with a higher PFF pass coverage grade than Walker (59.0 vs. 52.6).

With Campbell out of the picture and Cooper nursing an injury, there's a window for McDuffie to again be penciled in for a large snap count to open the season. With already having scheme familiarity and looking sharp last season filling in for starters, there will be plenty of expectations for McDuffie to take the next step and earn a second contract in Green Bay following the season.

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