Packers can still tweak roster as mandatory minicamp arrives

As the Packers reunite for the final part of the offseason program before training camp, certain roster tweaks remain on the table.

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The Green Bay Packers will begin mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, requiring every unexcused member of the roster to share the practice field. Though the team had strong attendance during the voluntary organized-team activities, this represents another key step in the roster's development for 2023.

Today's edition of The Leap looks at how the Packers might tweak their roster this deep into the offseason and whether anyone new could enter the competition to back up Jordan Love.

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Back in April, you each made the case for veteran signings the Packers could pursue. Do those players still make sense and have the chances of them landing in Green Bay changed since the draft?

Jason B. Hirschhorn: A few of the veteran options I highlighted back in April have come off the market. Leonard Floyd signed a de facto one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills to boost their pass rush, especially with Von Miller still working his way back from last season's torn ACL. Melvin Ingram remains available though, as an 11-year veteran, probably doesn't have a ton of interest in signing a team-friendly deal before training camp. Most players in his situation prefer to wait until later in the process and avoid some or all of camp.

Of course, all of this matters little given what the Packers did during the 2023 NFL Draft. By selecting Lukas Van Ness with the 13th overall pick and adding a pair of defensive linemen in Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, they've already committed significant resources to the pass rush. A veteran could perhaps provide more in the short run, but Green Bay has a long-term interest in developing these rookies.

With that in mind, I don't expect the Packers to seriously pursue a veteran pass rusher unless injuries force their hand. Otherwise, the healthy return of Rashan Gary will provide a bigger lift than anyone the front office can realistically acquire at this stage.

What veteran who previously held a significant role seems most in danger of losing his spot in Green Bay?

JBH: The chessboard continues to set up for a potential Royce Newman trade later in the year. A former starter with positional versatility, Newman doesn't appear in position to compete for a job along the offensive line entering mandatory minicamp. Though injuries could alter that outlook, right tackle seems like a two-man race between Yosh Nijman and Zach Tom while Jon Runyan Jr. and Josh Myers still appear to hold the inside track for the right guard and center jobs, respectively. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, obviously, will start as well.

Those factors alone wouldn't force Newman out of Green Bay, but the numbers probably won't break his way among the backups either. Either Nijman or Tom will serve as the swing tackle depending on which one wins a starting job, with the latter already demonstrating five-position versatility. Even if, say, the Packers tab Nijman as the right tackle and start Tom along the interior, that would still result in either Runyan or Myers becoming the top interior reserve. Additionally, the coaches want to give 2022 third-round pick Sean Rhyan more run at multiple spots, further complicating the matter from Newman's perspective.

All of this could net out to Newman becoming more valuable to another team than to the Packers. They've gone down this path before. Just last year, Green Bay sent offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen to the Jacksonville Jaguars shortly before the start of the regular season. A similar story played out in 2016 with pass rusher Lerentee McCray.

Perhaps Newman unexpectedly finds his way into a key backup role or starting job. However, if that doesn't occur, the Packers should have options.

At this stage of the offseason, do you expect the competition for backup QB to really come down to Sean Clifford and Danny Etling or will another signal-caller enter the race?

JBH: Much earlier in the offseason, I couldn't envision a scenario where the Packers would head into the regular season without a veteran quarterback to back up Love. With only 83 pass attempts under his belt, Love has plenty of questions to answer, and adding an experienced reserve to the room could prove vital as Green Bay's new starting signal-caller navigates the league.

But that perception has changed. At least so far, the Packers seem content with the options they have. Head coach Matt LaFleur didn't seem terribly interested in adding another quarterback, at least not at this stage of the process.

"I think it's really, really difficult to get four guys the amount of reps that you need to get in order for them to show what they can do," LaFleur said during OTAs. "Certainly, there's times when you have a veteran guy like we've had in years past where you're not going to play him in the preseason, then it's a little bit more doable. But it's really hard. Jordan Needs a ton of reps. They all do. And so how do you divvy those up?"

At the same time, the Packers probably don't need to see much from the available veterans at this point in the offseason. If Clifford and Etling fall short during training camp and the preseason, the front office could add, say, Matt Ryan in late August or early September and not miss a beat. Accordingly, the window for such a move probably wouldn't open for a few months.

So do I expect the Packers to add competition at quarterback? No, but the backups don't need to falter much during training camp and/or the preseason to reignite the argument.