Packers RosterBuilder preview: Offense seeks Aaron Rodgers' backup, tight end solution

Doug Schneider
Green Bay Press Gazette

GREEN BAY - Forget most of what you learned last year about the Green Bay Packers' preseason roster questions.

Who'll pressure the passer? Free-agency and the draft took care of that.

Which young receivers make the team? Most of the roles appear set, and there aren't any hotshot rookies to pressure the incumbents.

ROSTER BUILDER: Craft your final 53 while staying under the salary cap

There's even some certainty at running back, where two third-year men are coming off solid seasons and a youngster waits in the wings.

But no NFL team enters the preseason without some tough choices about who makes the 53-man roster, and who must look for a civilian job. Here are some questions general manager Brian Gutekunst and new coach Matt LaFleur will have to answer before the team meets the Bears in Chicago on Sept. 5.

►Which offensive-line group is best able to keep franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright? Packers QBs were sacked 53 times last season, third most in the NFL.

Green Bay Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark (97) was drafted in the first round in 2016.

►Is it time to keep more than five defensive linemen? The 2018 core of Kenny Clark, Mike Daniels and Muhammad Wilkerson missed 23 of 48 possible starts. Only Clark had more than nine starts.

►Who can improve a special-teams performance that Football Outsiders ranks fifth-worst in the NFL? Kickoff- and punt-return units ranked 21st and 22nd, respectively. The Packers had eight fumbles on punts — the league's most, by far.

Here's a far-too-early look at who on the offense is likely to make the 53-man roster and/or occupy practice-squad slots. We'll handle defense separately. Caveats apply: There'll be comings and goings this summer, and there's always risk of injury.

O-line: Bakhtiari, Linsley and then who?

Challenge: Assemble a stable five-man unit to keep Rodgers upright long enough to be Rodgers — particularly by getting better guard play than Lane Taylor, Byron Bell and others delivered last year.

The offensive line is built on all-pro tackle David Bakhtiari, steady center Corey Linsley, and questions. 

Ten years into his career, does oft-injured tackle Brian Bulaga have enough left in the tank? What's the role of Billy Turner, who signed for four years for an eyebrow-raising $28 million. Is second-round pick Elgton Jenkins NFL-ready at guard after playing center in college? Can someone stop right guard from being a revolving door?

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If Bulaga can play, Turner can stabilize a right-guard job that neither Bell nor Justin McCray nor Lucas Patrick was able to claim after T.J. Lang signed with Detroit in 2017. Turner would enable the team to use Jenkins or Taylor at left guard.

David Bakhtiari, left, drills with Corey Linsley (63) at Green Bay Packers Training Camp at Ray Nitschke Field August 12, 2014.

Ideal starters: Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Linsley, Turner, Bulaga

Backups: McCray, Jason Spriggs, Taylor, Alex Light.

At risk: Taylor's $5.48 million salary-cap hit will be hard to justify if he's a backup. Spriggs has underwhelmed, starting nine games since being a Round 2 pick in 2016.

Coin flip: Lucas Patrick is in camp because he plays center and guard. But so can Jenkins, which might make Patrick expendable. If Linsley gets hurt, an interior of Taylor-Jenkins-Turner is preferable to Jenkins-Patrick-Turner. It also means the team could keep Light, whose versatility helps at tackle.

Practice squad: Pick two: Light, Cole Madison (who missed last season while dealing with mental health concerns and the suicide of a college teammate), and rookie free agent tackle Yosh Nijman. Nijman is a bundle of talent with limited polish; he's only played football a few years.

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QB: Who can be no. 2?

Starter isn't an issue, obviously. Aaron Rodgers is a perennial MVP candidate who dates Danica Patrick and counts $26 million against the cap this year.

DeShone Kizer and Tim Boyle are none of the above. Each seems better suited to be QB3 rather than the guy who steps in if Rodgers goes down.

Kizer, the former second-round pick the Packers got in 2018 when they traded Damarious Randall to Cleveland, was once thought comparable to the QBs taken before him in 2017: Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. But Kizer threw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns as a Brown, then completed less than half his passes as Rodgers' backup.

Boyle is the anti-Kizer in the hype department. He couldn't crack the starting lineup in three years on bad Connecticut teams, recording one TD and 13 interceptions. He was better after a transfer to Eastern Kentucky, but had only one game of more than 250 yards passing. But the Packers love his arm, and signed him as a free agent in 2018.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12), quarterback Tim Boyle (8) and quarterback DeShone Kizer (9) talk during practice on Clarke Hinkle Field Friday, October 12, 2018 in Ashwaubenon, Wis.

Starter: Rodgers.

Backup: Boyle, or a veteran cut by another team.

Coin flip: Which unproven QB gets kept: the one with more potential or the one with more experience?

Practice squad: Undrafted rookie Manny Wilkins. He's undersized, but overcame a tough childhood to become a leader and post significant numbers at Arizona State.

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WR: After Adams, who are the starters?

Jordy Nelson had aged and wasn't re-signed. Randall Cobb lost a step; his numbers reflected it. Youngsters Trevor Davis and Michael Clark had nine catches combined. Jeff Janis? Limited to special teams. Only Davante Adams showed upside.

Yes, wide receiver was a question mark last spring.

Today, Adams is coming off a year when he was second in the league with 13 TD receptions; his 111 catches are second-best in Packers history. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had 38 catches — a better debut than Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson. Fellow rookie Equanimeous St. Brown had 21. Veteran Geronimo Allison was on pace for 64 before an injury ended his season.

They all make the team.

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison (81) catches a 39-yard touchdown pass as Chicago Bears defensive back Kyle Fuller (23) defends in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field on Sunday, September 9, 2018 in Green Bay, Wis.

Any intrigue will be at the bottom of the group. The battle will be for bigger roles rather than roster spots.

J'Mon Moore was the first of the 2018 receivers drafted. He struggled to get onto the field, making two catches in 12 games. He's capable of better. 

Undrafted Wisconsin-Whitewater alum Jake Kumerow became a fan favorite, catching eight balls in 2018. His size and hands are intriguing, but he lacks Moore's upside.

Trevor Davis made last year's team due to his 2017 success as a kick returner. He started well in 2018, but injury ended his season in game two. If Moore, Valdez-Scantling or someone else wins a job returning kicks, Trevor Davis has no role.

Keepers: Adams, Allison and St. Brown or Valdez-Scantling start. Backups are Moore, Kumerow and whoever returns kicks.

At risk: Trevor Davis.

Coin flip: With a solid young core, does the team use a roster spot to keep a seventh WR in a developmental role? Previous Packers teams have kept up to eight.

TE: Can Sternberger make an early impact?

After years of shuffling veterans in an effort to replace what they lost when injuries ended Jermichael Finley's career in 2013, the Packers took a new approach: Spending a third-round draft pick on big-play threat Jace Sternberger.

The Texas A&M alum, taken 75th in the 2019 draft, becomes the earliest Packers tight-end pick since Bubba Franks at 14 in 2000 (Finley and Richard Rodgers were also third-rounders). Sternberger joins oft-injured former all-pro Jimmy Graham, blocking specialist Marcedes Lewis, and Robert Tonyan. They combined for 62 catches (55 by Graham) and 3 TDs. Finley, when healthy, averaged 57 catches and five TDs.

The question: When can Sternberger contribute? While he has serious ability, tight end is difficult to master in the NFL. The Packers likely hope he'll be their 2020 starter.

Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham goes up for a pass against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Brian Poole during their football game on Sunday, December 9, 2018, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

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In recent seasons under Mike McCarthy, the team kept four tight ends. My guess? Gutekunst and LaFleur go the same route. That means one less inside linebacker, or only five defensive linemen.

Keepers: Graham, Lewis, Sternberger, Tonyan

At risk: Tonyan has promise but isn't as skilled as Sternberger or Graham, and he's not the blocker Lewis is.

Coin flip: The 2018 version of Graham seemed to have lost some skills that made him an all-pro. If that continues in camp, does the team save his $5.3 million salary and go with Lewis and two youngsters?

Practice squad: Rookie Davis Koppenhaver if the team wants a pass-catcher. Second-year man Evan Baylis if it prefers size.

RB: For a change, backfield appears set

The Packers running game continues to improve, in part because of how the team handles its ballcarriers.

Coaches found a way to get speedy second-year man Aaron Jones more touches, and he delivered 5.5 yards a carry, 728 yards and eight TDs — the latter two figures the team's most since Eddie Lacy. They reduced Jamaal Williams' workload slightly, and saw his average grow from a woeful 3.6 yards per carry to 3.8.

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) celebrates a first down run against Washington Sunday, September 23, 2018 at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. Jim Matthews/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Now, the team hopes it has found the final piece of the puzzle in the form of sixth-round draft pick Dexter Williams, a one-cut runner, who should fit LaFleur's offense well. Williams averaged 6.3 yards a pop while running for 995 yards and 12 TDs at Notre Dame in 2018 despite a multigame suspension for an undisclosed issue, and the distraction of his mother's terminal illness.

That's bad for this exercise. There won't be roster battles at RB spots.

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Keepers: Jones (starter), both Williamses.

At risk: There isn't room for Kapri Bibbs, who had one carry and three receptions after being claimed off waivers in December. Ditto fullback Danny Vitale, who had one reception in five games last year.

Practice squad: Long shot: Maybe fullback Tra Carson gets a spot.

 Contact Doug Schneider at DSchneid@gannett.com or (920) 431-8333. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider