22 Days Until Training Camp: Fourth of July Fireworks

These five players will lead the way as the Green Bay Packers wage war to dethrone the rulers of the NFC North.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 4, 2023 9:01 AM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On this Independence Day, the right thing to do is grab a sparkler and wonder how the Green Bay Packers will end the Minnesota Vikings’ unjust rule over the NFC North.

These five players will provide the fireworks.

Aaron Jones

Over the last five seasons, Aaron Jones is tied for fifth in the NFL with 56 touchdowns. During that span, the Packer are 28-9 when he scores at least one touchdown. They had won nine in a row until last season’s loss at Washington.

In Jones’ six seasons, the Packers are a resounding 15-2 when he posts at least 100 rushing yards. They had won 12 in a row until last season’s loss at Buffalo. By one significant measuring stick, he’s one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.

“This is home for me. This has always been home for me,” Jones said during minicamp. “This is my family. I love the coaching staff. I love the people upstairs. I love my teammates in this locker room. There’s no other place where I want to be. This is home. I’m just happy and blessed to be back here.”

Aaron Jones (Photo by Mark Hoffman/USA Today Sports)

Christian Watson

It took him a while to get going but, when he did, Christian Watson showed signs of being the next star in the Packers’ pantheon of great receivers.

A second-round draft pick, Watson caught seven touchdown passes during the second half of the season. In the process, he became the second rookie in NFL history with at least seven-plus receiving touchdowns and two-plus rushing touchdowns. His seven touchdown catches were third-most by a rookie in franchise history – behind Billy Howton (13) and Max McGee (nine) but ahead of Hall of Famers James Lofton and Don Hutson (six each).

His three 100-yard games were also his three 50-yard games, so the Packers will need more consistent production. But with size and game-breaking speed, he’s a legit threat to end ever play in the end zone.

Rashan Gary

Rashan Gary started his fourth NFL season with five sacks in his first four games. At the time, he looked like a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. However, his season ended with a torn ACL. There is optimism that he’ll be ready for at least limited snaps in Week 1 at Chicago.

Of the 99 edge defenders with at least 200-pass rushing snaps last season, Gary finished ninth in Pro Football Focus’ pass-rush win rate. More impressively, he finished second in PFF’s pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Nick Bosa, who was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, was third; Micah Parsons, the runner-up for that award, was fourth.

Jaire Alexander

After three consecutive seasons of allowing sub-50 percent completion rates – the only cornerback in the NFL to accomplish that feat – Jaire Alexander posted a career-high five interceptions in 2022. Four of those came in the fourth quarter, with Alexander playing the role of closer. According to Sports Info Solutions, he allowed 12 yards or less in seven of his 16 games.

Alexander turned in a masterpiece performance in Week 17 against Minnesota in helping limit Vikings star Justin Jefferson to a career-low one reception. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry matched Alexander against Jefferson on practically every snap; Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell did almost nothing to get Jefferson away from Alexander.

It will be interesting to see how Alexander will be deployed against top receivers in 2023.

Keisean Nixon

Nobody – not Aaron Rodgers, not Aaron Jones, not Christian Watson – brought more fireworks than Keisean Nixon.

In three seasons with the Raiders, Nixon returned six kickoffs. His longest return was 26 yards. For the Packers, Nixon averaged 28.8 yards to earn All-Pro honors. Incredibly, the Packers hadn’t had a 50-yard kickoff return since Jeff Janis’ 70-yarder in 2015. Nixon had five – three more than any player in the league in 2022 and as many as the Packers over the entire Rodgers era.

In one of the more unforgettable moments of the season, after the Vikings struck first in Week 17, Nixon was introduced as the kickoff returner. The crowd in the north end zone stood and cheered. Nixon fielded the kick and raced 105 yards for the game-turning touchdown.