The Green Bay Packers Are Going All-In On The Youth Movement

It is a new era for the Green Bay Packers, and they are certainly committing to the youth movement. So far, they have opted not to re-sign key veterans from last year’s team, with the team publicly saying that Marcedes Lewis will not return. The jury is still out on Adrian Amos, but the team doesn’t seem to be heavily pursuing him. For better or worse, the team is getting younger and leaning into it hard.

Packers QB Jordan Love (10) – John Fisher/Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers Youth Movement

Last year, the Packers seemed to be going all-in and had older players at key positions. It has been a complete 180 this offseason, especially after the draft. Aaron Jones, at 28 years old, is the senior member of the Packers’ offense. The rest of the skill positions are mostly first and second-year players. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are entering their second year. Samori Toure cannot be forgotten, as the coaching staff continually brings him up unprompted. Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft have little competition at the tight-end position. Is this the right move for this team?

Packers rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) – AP Photo/Seth Wenig

The Good

Any time that you can get young players to grow together, it has the potential to be amazing. Continuity is a huge part of sports, especially football. Randall Cobb was ineffective after he left Green Bay but had hugely productive seasons with the Packers. Why? His rapport with Aaron Rodgers made him a deadlier weapon. If Watson, Doubs, Jones, AJ Dillon, Musgrave, and Kraft can all build rapport with love, this team could have a devastating offense in a couple of years.

The other good thing about all of these young players playing together is it is an environment that allows mistakes. Rodgers was visibly frustrated last year with rookie errors. It wasn’t a great environment for adjusting to the NFL. Now, rookie and young player mistakes are going to be frustrating still, but to a lesser extent. This is a great learning environment that should pay dividends later.

Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson (9) – Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bad

There are some drawbacks to leaning into the youth movement. Veterans can help rookies adjust to the NFL and curb some of those aforementioned mistakes. They can help coaches see things on the field and coach up when necessary. Having all young players risks developing bad habits that will take years to break. For example, imagine Lewis with this tight-end group. I would feel even better about the picks of Musgrave and Kraft if they had a year to be under the savvy veteran. This isn’t to say that rookie players cannot develop and become awesome, but a lot more can go wrong.

Essentially the big risk is the development of players. The Packers are counting on their coaching staff to be able to coach up the players without veteran help. The Green Bay Packers have a long history of good infrastructure, so it isn’t outlandish to trust your coaches.

Former Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave (88) – Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Is It Worth The Risk?

Personally, I think the risk is worth it. One of the problems with having veterans on the team is that they take away reps for the younger players. One of the reasons I believe we saw so much growth from Watson and Doubs is that they got the reps. This season will be no different. Musgrave and Kraft will be thrown right into the fire and will have plenty of opportunities to learn. The other factor is that this team is going to be fun to watch. Entertainment is why we watch football, and young players are entertaining. They will make highlight reel plays followed up by boneheaded mistakes. That makes for good television.

It is a new era for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers nailed the 2022 draft, and if they can follow it up with another great 2023 class, the Packers should be back in the mix for the NFC North crown in no time.