The Green Bay Packers are a much younger team this season than they were a year ago. Only three players on this roster are 30 or older on the current roster and they are De’Vondre Campbell, Preston Smith, and David Bakhtiari.

GM Brian Gutekunst indicated the team was not necessarily trying to get younger but did place a larger emphasis on team speed over the offseason.

But with youth comes growing pains and inexperience. Here is a look at three positions where the Packers lack of experience may cause them to struggle in 2023, especially early in the season.

3. Kicker

Anders Carlson has a rocket for a leg. The 57-yard field goal he made at Lambeau Field against the Seahawks in the third preseason game certainly attests to his potential to make long range kicks.

While the former Auburn star can make long kicks, he has also been inconsistent. In the first preseason game against Cincinnati, Carlson missed two extra points by hooking them wide right.

Against the Seahawks in the preseason finale, Carlson made the 57-yard kick but also had an extra point blocked. That totals three missed PATs in three games.

Carlson will also have to learn to handle the wind at Lambeau Field and he’ll need to learn to kick in the cold weather come November and December.

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia worked with Carlson’s brother Daniel when he was with the Raiders. Daniel Carlson went from being released by the Minnesota Vikings (after missing some kicks against the Packers no less) to earning All Pro honors with the Raiders.

Carlson will certainly have his ups and downs this season. He’ll likely make some long-distance kicks and miss some frustrating extra points. The Packers love his strong leg and his potential. Expect some ups and downs this year but the Packers are willing to give Carlson a chance to figure things out.

2. Tight End

The Packers will be relying on two rookie tight ends to play large roles on offense this season in second round pick Luke Musgrave and third round choice, Tucker Kraft.

Tight end is considered one of the tougher positions for rookies to pick up. It requires learning pass patterns, blocking for the run, pass protection and chipping a pass rusher before running a pattern.

All rookies need to adjust to the thicker playbook and numerous route trees in the NFL and to playing against bigger, faster, and stronger players than they faced in college. For tight ends, it usually takes a little longer than most other positions.

The Packers rookie record for catches in a season by a rookie tight end was set by Bubba Franks back in 2000 when he caught 34 passes for 363 yards and one touchdown.

Musgrave has a good chance to beat that record. He provides the Packers with a downfield threat they haven’t had at tight end since Jermichael Finley’s career ended prematurely due to injury a decade ago.

Musgrave showed potential in the preseason and in training camp, but getting it done in the regular season when defenses are blitzing more often and disguising their coverages is another thing. He will also be going up against starters the entire game once the season gets underway.

Kraft seems to be taking a bit longer to pick up the playbook and adjust to life in the NFL. Matt LaFleur will ask him to play a bigger role in the offense as soon as he proves he’s ready.

The two young tight ends are talented and have potential, but expect some early-season mistakes, missed assignments and running the wrong route as the two young players adjust to life in the NFL.

1. Wide Receiver

The Packers kept six wide receivers on their roster this year but none of them have more than one year of NFL experience.

Christian Watson started 11 games in his rookie year while Romeo Doubs started seven. Samori Toure has started two games. Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Reed, and Malik Heath are rookies.

When you add two rookie tight ends and six receivers with 20 games as starters combined in their careers with a quarterback who has started one game in his NFL career you have a recipe for growing pains.

This group is talented, athletic, and enthusiastic and they’ve put in the work over the offseason and in training camp, but this is a process. It will take time for Jordan Love to get more comfortable with his young receivers and tight ends as they all assume new roles in the offense.

Matt LaFleur will have to take a different approach to teaching these young players than he did with a veteran quarterback and receivers like he had in his first four seasons in Green Bay.

The Packers are inexperienced at these key positions and there will be growing pains here at times. How quickly the team improves, and the young players learn the offense will go a long way to determining how successful the 2023 version of the Packers can be.