The Green Bay Packers march toward the 2024 season is just getting started. The coaching staff changes and promotions have been made, the roster has been settled with free agency and the draft and the rookies were in for their mini-camp last weekend. Phase two of the off-season program will bring the rookies and veterans into the building together for the first time next week, followed by a couple weeks of organized team activities, a mandatory mini-camp before the break leading up to training camp. Needless to say, there’s a long ways to go. During this week’s downtime, the coaching staff is meeting with the media, Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich and new Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley took their turns on Monday and today it was the remaining offensive assistants stepping to the podium.
Some highlights and quotes from each, beginning with Jason Vrable. If I had a vote for the assistant coach of the year in the NFL, the Pack’s wide receiver room leader would have earned it for how his collection of first and second year pass catchers developed in 2023, from high draft picks to unheralded free agents. Vrable has been promoted by Head Coach Matt LaFleur to Offensive Passing Game Coordinator this year, handing over the room to Ryan Mahaffey. Vrabel said once the receivers understood their route responsibilities, they became much more aware of defensive schemes and the production from all took off. Every receiver was the top dog at least once and Jayden Reed re-wrote several rookie receiving records. But does this offense need a bona fide number one wideout like the Davante Adams days? Vrabel said not so fast, because we want every one in the passing game to consider themselves a number one option.
Next up was Quarterbacks Coach Tom Clements, even at 70, excited to return after how Jordan Love took over the reigns and continued to improve through the second half of the season, capped by his big performance in the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys. It was the biggest unknown heading into the 2023 but quarterback play may be the least concerning position just a year later, so what is Love like heading into 2024, a second season as a starter and literally any day now, the next 50 million dollar a year NFL QB?
Clements says the challenge is to get Love back to his season ending form of last season as soon as possible this fall. He calls backup Sean Clifford a “gamer” who should take a big step in year two, draft pick Michael Pratt has a skill set worth developing and the addition of assistant QB coach Sean Mannion, who played in this system a lot during his career, will help in bringing the still young room along.
Offensive Line Coach Luke Butkus was next and he’s lost a lot in David Bakhtiari, Jon Runyan and Yosh Nijman but he’s also added three fresh hogs in this year’s draft led by number one pick Jordan Morgan. He’s just beginning to sort out of talent pool up front.
Butkus said cross training is their modus operandi, except for center Josh Myers who he declared will be the starter, but nearly everyone else will learn multiple roles.
Fear of the unknown had to be on the mind of Tight Ends Coach John Dunn a year ago. His room was completely overhauled with two unproven rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft taking over. That duo went from tight end unknowns to knowns in a year’s time.
Musgrave flashed early until he lacerated his kidney and then Kraft seized his opportunities. They only got a glimpse of them both on the field together in the offense and Dunn believes there will be a creative explosion in the passing game planning taking into account their skill sets and matching them with the rest of the perimeter passing talent this fall. Dunn was also happy with how Ben Sims, a late camp acquisition off the Viking cut list, earned time and contributed and it will be nice to Tyler Davis back from his Pre-Season ACL tear.
Running Backs Coach Ben Sirmans may have had to deal with the biggest talent jolt of all. From 7 year veteran Aaron Jones to former Las Vegas Raider Josh Jacobs, the lead back role flipped almost overnight and I asked Ben how that shook his world.
Sirmans said it was emotional seeing Jones move on to the Vikings and they got in their sincere goodbyes but in Jacobs, the Packers have an explosive back who can be productive in similar and in some cases different ways than Jones was for the offense. Ben is anxious to see how MarShawn Lloyd will fit in and he’s thrilled A.J. Dillon is back to be one of the elder statesmen for the entire offensive unit. Sirmans is hoping Dillon picks up where he left off late last year, producing on all three downs for the team.
WR Coach Ryan Mahaffey
Finally, new Wide Receivers Coach Ryan Mahaffey hit the stage. So how did he go from the Assistant Offensive Line Coach to leading the receiver room and what struck him about how the pass catchers’ production took leaps and bounds toward the end of the year?
Mahaffey said the group’s best trait is how they push each other, play unselfishly and realize success for one is success for the team.
Even though it was just one year together for the group led by a first year quarterback, Head Coach Matt LaFleur said as the off-season program got underway, there should be expectations of late season and AT&T Stadium execution from the outset in 2023 as the handle they have on the skills across the offense should lead to even more expansion of the offensive capabilities. It’s just getting started.
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