GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers open the 2023 NFL regular season at the Chicago Bears on Sept. 10 at Soldier Field.
Their roster will be one of the youngest in the league this season. That's what happens when you trade 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers and don't re-sign Marcedes Lewis (39), Mason Crosby (39), Randall Cobb (32) or Adrian Amos (30).
The Packers have only four players age 30 or older.
And look at the offense. Their quarterback is 24. Their top six receivers were all drafted within the past 15 months. They don't have a tight end with more than three seasons of NFL experience. They have just one running back (Aaron Jones, 28) and one offensive lineman (David Bakhtiari, 31) over the age of 27.
Here is the 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Jordan Love, Sean Clifford
The new rule allowing teams to activate a designated third quarterback on game days might encourage teams to keep an extra one on the roster -- and perhaps the Packers will if Danny Etling shows out in the preseason. But they can always try to keep Etling on the practice squad and use a game-day elevation to get him active for the first couple of contests. Clifford, the fifth-round pick from Penn State, already looks like a solid No. 2 prospect. At this point, the Packers don't seem interested in a veteran backup for Love.
RUNNING BACK (3): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Patrick Taylor
This could be the final season for Jones and Dillon together, because Jones will be 29 before the end of the year and Dillon is in the last year of his rookie deal. Rookie seventh-round pick Lew Nichols III has a chance, but Taylor's experience gives him the edge.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Grant DuBose
Unless GM Brian Gutekunst finds a veteran, this could be the youngest group in the league. All six were drafted in 2022 or 2023. DuBose's spot is shaky considering he missed the entire offseason program because of an injury he would not disclose. If he doesn't catch up, look for Bo Melton or Jeff Cotton (who were late-season pickups in 2022) or undrafted rookies Malik Heath and Duece Watts to get a shot.
TIGHT END (4): Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis, Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft
While Deguara and Davis are the returners, rookies Musgrave and Kraft might have bigger roles. Musgrave quickly became a favorite target for Love during offseason practices. The second-round pick has big-play ability.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom, Yosh Nijman, Royce Newman, Caleb Jones, Sean Rhyan
If Bakhtiari's two years of knee problems are finally behind him, the Packers have one of the best left sides with him and Jenkins. Tom figures to become a starter in Year 2, whether it's at center or right tackle. He's in competition with Myers and Nijman at those two spots, respectively. Rhyan and Rasheed Walker, both drafted in 2022, didn't play a down last season and might be fighting for the last roster spot.
DEFENSIVE LINE (5): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, T.J. Slaton, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks
Wyatt, the 28th overall pick last year, didn't do much as a rookie until late in the season, but now that veterans Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed are gone, he will be expected to play more than his 224 snaps last season and do more than his 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (5): De'Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter
The coaches moved Carpenter from safety to inside linebacker to see if he can help on defense, but even if he can't, he's a core special teams player who needs to be on the 53. Look for defensive coordinator Joe Barry to move Walker around more this season, bringing him off the edge at times.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Justin Hollins, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox
This assumes Rashan Gary (ACL) isn't going to be ready for the first month of the season and starts out on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The Packers have kept at least one undrafted rookie on the initial roster for 18 straight seasons. Look for Cox, a stellar talent who got kicked off two different college teams, to extend that streak.
CORNERBACK (6): Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine, Shemar Jean-Charles, Carrington Valentine
This assumes Eric Stokes (foot, knee) isn't going to be ready for the first month of the season and starts out on the PUP list. Douglas has moved back to his natural outside corner spot, and Nixon will get the first shot at the nickel/slot position.
SAFETY (5): Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Tarvarius Moore, Jonathan Owens, Dallin Leavitt
The Packers need two things here: a big bounce-back year from Savage and a capable second starter. They brought in Moore and Owens as budget free agents, while Leavitt returns mostly in a special teams role. If the Packers aren't happy with that group of backups, look for seventh-round pick Anthony Johnson, undrafted free agent Benny Sapp III or veteran Innis Gaines to be in the mix.
SPECIALISTS (3): K Anders Carlson, P Pat O'Donnell, LS Matt Orzech
Mason Crosby, the Packers' all-time scoring leader, is just a phone call away if Carlson isn't the answer. But Carlson will be given plenty of leeway because he was a sixth-round pick. The Packers gave Orzech a $300,000 signing bonus in free agency, so he's likely to be the long-snapper.