Age Isn't Much of an Excuse for Reeling Packers

To an extent, we knew that 2023 was going to be a year of growing pains. There was a lot of growth that had to happen because the Packers’ roster was just so young, especially on offense.

But midway through the year, the Packers still seem stuck in neutral. The growth hasn’t happened as anticipated, and the Packers are struggling. It’d be easy to blame their struggles entirely on youth, but that excuse gets weaker and weaker with each passing game.

For starters, the offense is much less saddled with youth than you might initially think. Though eight weeks, 17 players have participated in at least 100 snaps. In that group, seven players are in the fourth year or later of their NFL career. Another (Royce Newman) is in his third year. Five more are in their second year. It’s true that there are four rookies still getting significant snaps, but it’s not as though the Packers are just awash with guys who have never played before. This offense may not have played together a lot — and that counts for something — but they’re experienced enough to know at least what to do.

Well, they should be. If you look at the Packers’ penalties, you might wonder. Look at the most penalized players on the Packers and you might wonder. According to NFLPenalties.com, six different players on the Packers’ offense have been penalized multiple times so far this season. Of those six, only one (Dontayvion Wicks) is a rookie. Clearly, even the Packers’ experienced players, such as they are, aren’t putting their game-earned knowledge to good use.

But even outside the penalties, it’s hard to find areas where the Packers are making the experience they have work for them. Christian Watson can’t find a way to beat out defensive backs for the ball, going 0-for-8 on the season on contested catches, according to Packers Wire’s Zach Kruse. According to Sports Information Solutions, only five quarterbacks with at least 100 passing attempts this season throw a catchable ball at a lower rate than Jordan Love (look up the numbers here). Jon Runyan ranks 51st out of 60 qualifying guards in Pro Football Focus’s run-blocking grades, and Josh Myers ranks 28th out of 30 qualifying centers.

Age and experience aren’t killing the Packers. They’re just playing badly. And unless they figure out how to play better in the very near future, it’s hard to see many of them playing long enough that we can stop talking about their age.