Now that the Micah Parsons news has finally settled down a little bit, I want to turn to what the Green Bay Packers’ biggest question marks are going into the upcoming season. Green Bay returns most of its starters from last season, which is one reason why the roster cutdowns were less eventful than in previous years, but changing situations — be it because of injuries that the Packers are dealing with or the Parsons trade itself — shouldn’t be glanced over.
Let’s go ahead and hit on the three biggest
questions that I have with the team’s 2025 personnel.
#1: Is Matthew Golden legit?
With Dontayvion Wicks and rookie third-round pick Savion Williams injured for most of training camp, along with Christian Watson still recovering from his 2024 ACL tear, opportunities were plentiful for first-round rookie receiver Matthew Golden this summer. Given those chances, Golden seemed to impress every day of practice and made some tough catches during the preseason, too.
When the Packers’ Week 1 depth chart dropped earlier this week, Golden was actually named a co-starter alongside Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed, who almost exclusively plays in the slot in three-receiver sets in Matt LaFleur’s offense. Considering how much LaFleur likes to play two-tight end sets when both Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave have been healthy — which, to be fair, hasn’t been often — it really could be the Doubs and Reed show, primarily, until Watson comes off the physically unable to perform list.
Green Bay wants to be a bully ball team. They don’t throw the ball that much relative to the situations that they’re put in. They’re very heavy at basically every position on offense. But they need a credible speedster on the outside to play that style of football. With Watson out, Golden is going to be tabbed with the task. He’s been great this summer, and if they want to contend for a title, they need him to be that during the regular season, too.
#2: Is defensive tackle good enough?
Notice I say defensive tackle and not just Colby Wooden. I really do think this is a question for the entire defensive tackle room. Remember, this is the first time that Devonte Wyatt is going to be a full-time starter for the Packers.
Last year, Green Bay’s preferred defensive tackle duo on early downs was T.J. Slaton and Kenny Clark, who are now playing for the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. This year, the expectation is that Wyatt will start at three-technique and Wooden will start at nose tackle. With that being said, both Georgia rookies, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse, can credibly play nose tackle for the team if Wooden’s reshaping of his body (he was 273 pounds at the 2023 combine and is still listed at that weight by the team) doesn’t pan out.
Pass-rush production has never been the issue for Wyatt, but he did have a 51.9 run defense grade last year per Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Wooden had a 47.8 overall grade (160th among 220 qualifying defensive tackles) and just a 46.5 run defense grade.
#3: Who is going to play in the slot?
While it was good that the Packers were able to get second-round rookie Javon Bullard on the field for them last year, the results were a mixed bag, to say the least. In pass coverage, he scored a 46.9 grade per PFF, which ranked 141st out of 171 safeties, even though he played primarily in the slot once fourth-round rookie Evan Williams displaced him from the safety position.
Bullard got all of eight snaps in the slot this preseason, which included the lowlight from above, where he failed to fill his gap assignment, didn’t touch the ball carrier until the Jets back was double-digit yards downfield and ultimately, the back gaining that steam ended up injuring Bullard’s teammate, fellow safety Zayne Anderson.
We saw some big improvements this preseason from young players who didn’t look good last year, notably linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper, but Bullard hasn’t been among that group. With cornerback Nate Hobbs, whose contract is step-in-step with the current slot cornerback market, injured, Bullard might end up starting in the slot early in the season, if not for the whole year. The only other player on the Packers’ roster who has experience there, beyond Bullard and Hobbs, is outside cornerback Keisean Nixon, who hasn’t been practicing at the position for essentially a calendar year.
It’s not like Green Bay has cornerbacks in droves, either. After Nixon and Hobbs, who at minimum will be playing outside cornerback in base 4-3 looks, the next men up are Carrington Valentine, who has been good in coverage in the past, and receiver-turned-cornerback Bo Melton. The Packers elected to keep outside cornerbacks Nate Hobbs and Micah Robinson, a rookie draft pick who is now on the practice squad, on their initial 53-man roster over slot cornerbacks Kalen King and Corey Ballentine at the roster cutdown.
