There are four dates to remember: July August 27 August 12 September 19 September 11
Up first, the opening practice of Green Bay Packers 2022 training camp. A few weeks from now, Green Bay will travel to the Bay Area for a preseason rematch against the team that last booted them from the playoffs. Even casual fans know Sept. 11 is a Week 1 clash with Minnesota.
The other date, Aug. 19, is the release of Madden NFL 23, which means ratings are the talk of the town – specifically, the talk of the Internet since the middle of last week.
Green Bay fans may be wondering how did the Packers fare? Let’s see.
Unsurprisingly, Aaron Rodgers is the headliner. One of five passers with an overall rating of 90 or above – including, in order of ranking, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow – the four-time MVP quarterback begins his 15th season as Green Bay’s starter under center as a 96 jumpsuit.
Rodgers trails just Brady, who’s a 97, in the quarterback ratings. Rodgers’ top attributes per Madden are his awareness (97), throw power (93), toughness (98) and throw under pressure (97). Rodgers’ short, middle and deep accuracy grades are 96, 93 and 91. Sounds about right.
The other Packers with 90+ ratings are cornerback Jaire Alexander (94) and left tackle David Bakhtiari (94). Despite missing most – in Bakhtiari’s case practically all – of 2021 because of injuries, both guys remain two of the best at their positions thanks to their bodies of work.
Alexander is the second-highest rated cornerback in this year’s game behind Rams Super Bowl champion Jalen Ramsey (98). Seven others are rated 90 or higher: Tre’Davious White (93), Darius Slay Jr. (92), Denzel Ward (92), Marshon Lattimore (91), Stephon Gilmore (90), JC Jackson (90) and Marlon Humphrey (90). Teammate Rasul Douglas is an 80 overall – upgrade pending.
Bakhtiari joins 99 overall Trent Williams, Tyron Smith (95), Terron Armstead (93) and Ronnie Stanley (90) as Madden’s top-rated left tackles. Packers right tackle Elgton Jenkins is an 85.
Normally, we’d probably mention Davante Adams next… or first. A 99 again this season, but now playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s still possible to trade for Adams and put him on the Packers in Madden. That’s one of the ultimate perks of the fan-favorite video game: it’s fantasy!
Taking Adams’ spot as the highest-rated receiver on Green Bay’s roster is newcomer Sammy Watkins, a 79 overall with 91 speed and a catch rating of 83. An abundantly clear downgrade.
Watkins, of course, won’t be asked to handle an Adams-esque workload. He’ll grind in unison with Randall Cobb (78), Allen Lazard (77) and rookie Christian Watson (71) to try to complement a dynamic run game that features 89 and 80 overall running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
Rounding out the rest of Green Bay’s top guys is a quintuplet of defenders: Kenny Clark (89), Rashan Gary (89), Adrian Amos (88), De’Vondre Campbell (87) and Preston Smith (82).
MORE OBSERVATIONS
– Georgia teammates and top 2022 Packers picks Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt are 73 overalls. For what it’s worth, Walker and Wyatt are rated the same as linebacker Krys Barnes and defensive lineman Jarran Reed, players they’re trying to unseat in order to start as rookies.
– The skepticism surrounding 2020 first-round draft choice Jordan Love persists. Madden actually docked Love two points after last season, rating him a 66 entering Year 3 in the NFL.
– Ascending star Eric Stokes, Green Bay’s No. 1 pick last year, is a 78 overall, which is seven points higher than his initial rookie rating. Stokes earned a 90+ grade in the following categories: speed (95), acceleration (94), jumping (91), injury (91) and stamina (92).
– Do you fast on the Packers? That title, according to Madden’s performance adjusters, belongs to converted cornerback Rico Gafford, who has 96 speed. A 2018 signing of the Raiders, Gafford appeared in eight games at wide receiver and on special teams the past three seasons. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds at Wyoming’s Pro Day in 2018.
– Cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Shemar Jean-Charles, both guys expected to vie for snaps in five defensive back packages, begin the year with a 63 overall rating. Nixon is favored in the speed and acceleration departments, while Jean-Charles apparently is stronger – credit his 19 bench press reps of 225 pounds compared to 10 – and possesses better agility and awareness.
– Madden handed Green Bay, Wis., native and former Badger Cole Van Lanen a 61 overall designation – frankly, not too shabby for a big fella with one NFL snap to his name.
– Tight end Tyler Davis, who we recently dubbed a player worth keeping tabs on in 2022, carries a 61 overall rating. It’s hard to say he’s deserving of anything higher, but the potential is there.
– A prospective undrafted steal, Madden knows former Iowa running back Tyler Goodson has wheels. Goodson, who averaged 5.2 yards per touch as a Hawkeye and completed the 40 in 4.42 seconds at the combine, was given a 92 speed rating, tops in Green Bay’s backfield.
– Taking social media star Kurt Benkert’s spot as the no. 3 quarterback on Green Bay’s depth chart, Danny Etling checks in with a 48 overall rating. The LSU product does, however, have a speed grade of 80 and leads the room with an 86 acceleration rating … if you recall, Etling had an 86-yard touchdown sprint a few years ago during the preseason with New England.
– No love for long snappers! Madden lists both undrafted rookie Jack Coco and incumbent starter Steven Wirtel as tight ends with a 34 overall rating – the lowest on the Packers. Ouch!
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