This article is part of our 2020 Training Camp Preview series.
Expanding upon our team preview collection from earlier this offseason, we're gearing up for an irregular August with a series of team-specific articles to get you up to speed for training camp. You can find the previous writeup on the Green Bay Packers here.
State of the Franchise
Not a whole lot has changed in Green Bay since the Packers fell to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. A couple veterans departed and were replaced by other veterans, and while an entire draft class was added, the top couple picks focused on the future.
The long-term path of the franchise is uncertain to some degree with both Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love on the roster, but in 2020 the Packers will run it back with essentially the same group that left them on the doorstep of the Super Bowl just a few months ago. Rodgers and the offense will lean on fantasy studs Aaron Jones and Davante Adams, but Green Bay will need several other skill players to step up and become productive parts of the offense.
The defense was middle-of-the-road a year ago, but they did allow the ninth-fewest points and could take another step if they see improvement from a couple of the defenders they selected in the first round over the last few years. Luck was in the Packers' favor a year ago, but barring a complete reversal in that department, the pieces seemingly are in place for the team to make another run at the Super Bowl.
Job Battle
The Packers got as much out of their running backs as anyone a year ago, as Aaron Jones piled up more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage and tied for the league lead with 19 touchdowns while Jamaal Williams chipped in 731 yards and six scores of his own. Both players will be free agents after the 2020 season, though, and the Packers decided not to wait to address their future at the position, spending a second-round pick on fellow back AJ Dillon.
There's no doubt Jones is the man in the Packers' backfield, but there appears to be enough room for two fantasy-relevant backs in Green Bay. Williams will head into training camp second on the depth chart, and if he holds his spot he and Dillon figure to share the workload behind Jones.
However, if Dillon overtakes Williams, things could get interesting, as the Packers could elect to cut ties with the latter a year early and allot his salary to other pending free agents. In that scenario, Dillon would be the clear No. 2 back behind Jones, which would give him some value in deeper leagues most weeks and leave him an injury away from occupying the fantasy-friendly No. 1 running back spot in the Packers offense.
Medical Tent
St. Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain in the third preseason game last year, and while he may have missed as little as four weeks, the Packers still decided to place him on injured reserve. Because they did so without including him on the 53-man roster, he was forced to sit out the entire campaign. No setbacks were reported during St. Brown's recovery, so he'll be ready to participate when training camp gets underway. Much is unsettled on the Packers' depth chart at the wide receiver position, so St. Brown will have a chance to carve out a role in the offense.
Amos was an iron man in his first year in Green Bay, taking the field on all but a handful of the Packers' defensive snaps during the regular season. However, he couldn't avoid the injury bug altogether, suffering a pectoral injury in the NFC Championship Game and missing more than half the contest. Amos did not require surgery and declared himself 100 percent in May, so the injury will be behind him when the 2020 campaign gets underway. Amos isn't flashy, but he's as steady as they come and locked in as the team's starting strong safety.
Bolton made some noise in training camp a year ago as an undrafted free agent, but a torn ACL suffered in the third preseason game ended any hopes he had of making the cut. His recovery has presumably gone as planned, and he'll get a chance to compete for a roster spot again this year. He'll find himself on the outside looking in when training camp gets underway, but if his injury doesn't slow him down at all, he'll have a chance to beat out a player or two and come away with the spot at inside linebacker he was on track to secure in 2019.
