Bengals Will Provide Perfect Test for Packers’ Passing Game

The inexperienced Green Bay Packers passing attack will be throwing into the teeth of one of the best pass defenses in the NFL at Wednesday’s joint practice.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Aug 9, 2023 10:22 AM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

CINCINNATI – It will be like going from the frying pain to the fire for Jordan Love and the inexperienced Green Bay Packers’ passing attack this week.

After throwing at Green Bay’s big-time secondary for the first two weeks of training camp, Love and Co. will face the Cincinnati Bengals’ No. 1 defense at Wednesday’s joint practice. The Bengals last season ranked first in opponent passer rating and opponent completion percentage.

There could be no better way to get ready for the season for Love and, just as importantly, his young group of pass catchers.

“Coming in with a young offense, so it’ll be a great test for us,” veteran running back Aaron Jones said.

The numbers show just how young the Packers are on the passing game, in particular.

In his final season as the starting quarterback, Aaron Rodgers threw 542 passes. Not only did Rodgers leave Green Bay, but so did a few of his favorite targets. The passing-game exodus not only puts a lot of pressure on Love to replace a four-time MVP, but to make it happen with a bunch of young players who are stepping in for the veteran pass-catchers.

Last season, 16 players were targeted at least once in the passing game. That group was led by receiver Allen Lazard, who led the Packers in receiving on the strength of a team-high 100 targets. Tight end Robert Tonyan was tied for third with 67 targets and receiver Randall Cobb was sixth with 50 targets. Including Sammy Watkins (22), Amari Rodgers (eight), Marcedes Lewis (seven) and Juwann Winfree (four), 258 targets walked out the door.

Added together, 45.8 percent of last year’s targets are no longer with the team.

Like minds can disagree on whether this is a rebuilding year. Whatever. That’s just a term. The indisputable reality is 2023 will be a building year.

Can Love build week after week after week as he builds chemistry with second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and rookies Jayden Reed and Luke Musgrave? It’s those five players who the Packers are counting on to lead the passing game into the future.

Would players like Cobb or Tonyan have helped Love be more effective in his first year as the starter? Probably, but general manager Brian Gutekunst is taking a long-term view on the team.

The future is now, for better or worse.

“We brought veterans in here before – we did last year – and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Gutekunst said last week. “It all depends on the person. I think as we went into the offseason, we look at all these options and weigh them and see what makes sense. There would be particular players that I think would make a ton of sense to bring in here and help the offense, defense, special teams. Some guys would come in and because of their veteran status and where they are in their progression, would take a lot of snaps that maybe these guys need.

“I think as we go into this, the important thing for us as a group is to not put any ceilings on anything and go out and let these guys play and let them learn and grow. Whether it’s practice, joint practice, Family Night, preseason games, early-season regular-season game, the learning and growing part has to be on the forefront.”

The learning will continue against Cincinnati. It could get ugly at times, just like on Thursday in Green Bay, when cornerback Rasul Douglas minced no words in an epic trash-talking tirade. However, so long as the Packers leave Cincinnati having taken a couple steps in the right direction, then this road trip will be a success ahead of two joint practices and a preseason game against the New England Patriots next week.

“I think it’s just that consistency,” Love said last week. “I don’t think we are being consistent in all the rules in the offense, as consistent as we can be on the plays. It just comes down to us being on the same page and I don’t think we have that right now.

“We’re still kind of growing, going through those growing pains right now, but I think there’s definitely spurts of it and it’s awesome to see and then it sucks when we have days where we’re just not putting it together. It’s disappointing when you’re not able to put those plays together, but we’ve just got to find a way as a whole to be able to come together and turn that around right there.”