Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: Green Bay Packers
By Ash Thompson
Running Backs
Lions fans are no stranger to a running back group that appears to be very top heavy. The Packers have moved on from Eddie Lacey, and James Starks. Their proverbial eggs are all in the basket of Ty Montgomery. The rest of their running back group are rookies. The Packers selected Jamaal Williams in the fourth round, Aaron Jones in the fifth, and Devante Mays in the seventh round. They are also bringing in to camp undrafted free agents Kalif Phillips and William Stanback.
Montgomery is a very good player but this is a risky move by the Packers. Each of the rookies brings something to the table, but running back is a tough position to step in for, particularly in the passing game. Rookie running backs have no idea how to deal with NFL blitz packages. An injury to Montgomery could leave the Packers in an unenviable situation.
Offensive line
The Green Bay Packers have undergone some upheaval in their offensive line this offseason. They lost one of the league’s best pass blocking guards to the Lions in free agency. But they brought veteran Jahri Evans in as a replacement. Evans is a good player and the Packers invested well.
The release of Josh Sitton has put the left guard spot up in the air. Either Lane Taylor or Jason Spriggs will take the role. Taylor is the better run blocker of the two, while Spriggs is the better pass blocker. Spriggs also has the advantage of being the Packers swing tackle. He would likely be the primary back up at every position but Center in the event of a long term injury and may find himself on the bench because of it if all else is equal.
Brian Baluga and David Bakhtiari are both back and are among the best pass blocking tackle tandems in the league. Corey Linsley is contested only by sixth round pick Kofi Amichia for the Center role. Linsley has been more than adequate for the Packers when available. They are confident enough in his abilities that they allowed JC Tretter to move on to a full time starting role with the Browns.