Packers quarterback Jordan Love got in his first reps as QB1 this past week, and it looks like he'll have some hurdles to overcome in 2023.
The reviews from Jordan Love's first practice as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback are in, and the media feels… lukewarm about him, at best.
A day after the Packers offensive coordinator, Adam Stenavich, intimated that fitting Love into Green Bay's scheme would be like "trial and error", the 2020 first-rounder got his offseason training underway.
In the team's first open OTA that didn't permit videos, Love started building chemistry with his wideouts and offensive line and immediately ran into some snags.
The reporters present at practice delivered brief snippets about what they saw from Love on the field, and by and large it was more critique than praise.
Packers' Jordan Love looks rusty as QB1, but it's too early to judge
As Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame notes, it's only May 23rd. The kid has the rest of the summer to impress the media and, more importantly, build a rapport with his starters.
After Aaron Rodgers ran the Packers offense for nearly two decades, it's inevitable that Green Bay will go through a bumpy transition with a younger, less experienced, and altogether different quarterback under center.
Jordan Love probably won't be able to shoulder Rodgers' passing workload from previous years. It's just too much to expect from him. Instead, as Stevanich continues to tailor the playbook to Love, the offense may move away from a vertical passing game reliant on one-on-one wide receiver matchups and into more of a Matt LaFleur-ian scheme with his signature creative flair and unique route combos incorporating running backs and tight ends as well.
Long gone is the Packers former deadly WR1, Davante Adams; in his place are a crowded bunch of spry, speedy, and versatile weapons (Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs to name a few) who will try to make Love's job a little easier.
In 2023, the Aaron Rodgers to [insert Rodgers' annual favorite wideout here] deep ball connection is obviously no longer viable. There's a new-ish quarterback in town, and he deserves the time and patience to get situated in his team — give him at least the offseason to figure it out.
