Packers head into their offseason program with a ‘better plan in place’ than a year ago
GREEN BAY — A few days before departing for the annual NFL meetings earlier this week in Florida, coach Matt LaFleur was sitting down with offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich inside one of the Green Bay Packers’ meeting rooms at their Lambeau Field headquarters.
LaFleur, entering his sixth season in charge, and Stenavich, the Packers’ offensive line coach on LaFleur’s original staff in 2019 who’s now entering his third season as coordinator, were brainstorming ideas for the 2024 season when it dawned on LaFleur just how much had changed in an 11-month span.
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At this time last year, the Packers were on the verge of trading four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets — a move that would, in turn, promote 2020 first-round draft pick Jordan Love to the starting job.
Then, during and immediately after the 2023 NFL Draft — just days removed from that historic trade — general manager Brian Gutekunst added four rookie wide receivers (draft picks Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Grant DuBose, plus undrafted free agent Malik Heath) and two tight ends (Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft).
As it turned out, Reed, Wicks, Heath, Musgrave and Kraft would all see significant playing time — and make meaningful contributions — as rookies, helping Love have a breakout year as the Packers reached the playoffs, beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC wild card round and had the San Francisco 49ers on the ropes with six minutes left in their divisional-round matchup.
Of course, no one could have predicted that late season run. And so, both before and after that draft, as they tried to design their offense and plan their offseason program, LaFleur and Stenavich were feeling more than a bit out of sorts.
“We were talking about this as an offensive staff the other day,” LaFleur recounted during the annual NFC coaches breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes resort in Orlando, Florida. “Before the draft last year, we didn’t even know who was going to be on our team. So it’s hard to plan and really put together an offense when you have no idea who your tight ends are necessarily going to be. You didn’t really know who your other wideouts were going to be.
Not only do LaFleur and his staff know what their now-second-year receivers and tight ends can do, they also have a much clearer picture of the abilities of third-year wideouts Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Touré. Add in the unexpected late season emergence of receiver Bo Melton, and the Packers have an embarrassment of young riches to work with.
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