By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers can’t solely rely on Aaron Rodgers – as they will certainly need to have a strong wall around their two-time reigning MVP quarterback. The Packers offensive line did an admirable job last season without their cream of the crop LT David Bakhtiari for all but one game & Elgton Jenkins for nine contests. The Pack ranked 12th in sacks allowed.

Entering the 2022 season, PFF generously slotted the Packers OL as the fifth-best OL unit in the league. The Packers should have their superb tackle duo back soon. According to Zach Kruse of USA Today, The Packers GM Brian Gutekunst stated, “They are both doing really, really well. I think they both have a shot to play early in the season. They are progressing very well.”

Baktiari is a two-time All-Pro selection and he’s also garnered second-team All-Pro twice in the past five seasons. The other tackle, Jenkins, made the Pro Bowl in 2020 (his second season).

The Packers LG Jon Runyan is a modest profile – who only allowed two sacks last season and had one penalty (which all led him to garner a 65.1 grade by PFF). He impressively had the 10th highest pass blocking grade by PFF in the second half of last season. It would be wise for the Pack to extend the sixth-round pick from their 2020 draft after the upcoming season, to say the least.

The middle-man, C Josh Myers, was a modest performer with his 293 reps last season, as he allowed zero sacks and showed potent strength in the run game. He will be entering his second NFL season and he’s honestly the x-factor on the Packers OL in 2022. The RG Jake Hanson is the biggest question mark on the OL, but he certainly has real potential. He played in a mere six snaps last season. He was a two-time AP Pac 12 All-conference second-team player for the Oregon ducks.

The Packers OL is unequivocally one of the top OL units entering the 2022 season. The Pack may have the legendary burning man Aaron Rodgers at QB, but don’t forget about the quality of the Packers OL — especially their pass-blocking ability.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers are a juggernaut football franchise and they should continue to be a Super Bowl contender with burning man Aaron Rodgers for another season. The Packers fan base delights in sitting on aluminum benches with cheese on their heads, but they also enjoy witnessing under-the-radar players ascend into household names. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three Packers that can burst onto the scene next season.

Sammy Watkins

I really like Sammy Watkins’s fit as a deep-threat in the Packers offense. Outside of Tae’s absence, he should absolutely excel with the old deep-threat MVS out of town against pedestrian NFC North defenses. The former fourth overall pick is still 28 years old and he has actually been somewhat healthy in recent memory, as well (13+ games played in two of his past three seasons). He might be a lock to explode in Week 1, but I believe he can still certainly have more consistent, high-level production in 2022 than his 2019 season (673 yds in 14 games).

Elgton Jenkins

The Packers swiss army knife at OL Elgton Jenkins is the second OL returning from an ACL injury. It’s unclear where Jenkins will start next season, but he should excel at any starting spot on the OL. Jenkins did grab a Pro Bowl spot in 2020, but I expect him to really shine against elite edge rushers from the RT spot in his fourth season/contract year in 2022.

Christian Watson

I might be cheating by adding another WR to this list, but the ceiling of Christian Watson’s career is quite underrated. His combination of size (6’4, 220) and 4.30 speed should help him translate to being a star at the professional level. Most importantly, there is a large void of targets after the exit from Adams and MVS, so the rook should have a nice opportunity to be very involved early on. Freddie Boston from Lombardi Ave also projects Watson to turn heads in 2022.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers are aiming for another Super Bowl win with the ageless warrior in Aaron Rodgers. A-Rod and his band of misfits will surely face a different mountain in 2022 than any previous season. The Packers will not have Davante Adams and it will be more difficult for Rodgers to “own the Bears” with Justin Fields leading CHI out of the tunnel. Nonetheless, the Packers will aim to be the top seed in the NFC for the third straight season.

With that enunciated, I’m going to untwine the biggest challenges that will attempt to break the Packers spirit in 2022. Let’s begin.

• The loss of Tae

I really believe the loss of Tae will haunt the Packers passing attack next season. Adams has arguably been the NFL’s most indispensable WR in the NFL over the past couple of seasons. A vital question arises after the exit from Adams: how quickly can Christian Watson develop into a 1,000+ yard WR?

I would also still like to see the Packers ink Will Fuller or OBJ, so they have a few quality WRs and Rodgers would always have favorable match-ups with his wideouts. The Pack has an underrated talent in Sammy Watkins, but they are also relying on Watkins to stay healthy for most of 2022, which is a scary thought. I’d love to see the Pack ink a FA WR or trade for a superb WR, so their WR room is well-prepared to dazzle opponents like LAR, TB, and even NO.

• The return of David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins

The Packers may not have a Top 3 WR in Tae, but they will have an elite, healthy former Top 3 LT in David Bakhtiari. The Packers legendary LT missed 16 games last season and it’s clear the return of his presence will benefit the reigning NFC North champions. Furthermore, Elgton Jenkins (who missed 9 games last season) will be healthy and hungry moving forward. The 49ers stud pass rusher Nick Bosa had two sacks (including a strip-sack) against the Packers backup RT in the recent pivotal divisional round. The ultimate question is: can the Packers have their tackles return to their prior form?

• What will Quay Walker bring to the table?

The Packers cut ties with Za’Darius Smith this offseason, but they did add Quay Walker. The Packers new LB is off to a hot start, according to UGA Wire. The cheeseheads in the world will hope he can have a similar impact as the 2009 Clay Matthews in his first season. The 38-year-old Rodgers will hope that his young friends can help him win another Lombardi trophy in Titletown soon.

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