Packers continue their rare roster trend that draws plenty of attention, but this year they aim to prove something bigger

For the third consecutive season, the Green Bay Packers have the youngest initial 53-man roster in the NFL. The average age of players on the Packers team is 25.23, according to Jimmy Kempski from the Philly Voice. It beats the Philadelphia Eagles by 0.26, while there's a massive difference compared to older rosters like the Washington Commanders (28.09) and Pittsburgh Steelers (27.28).

First-round wide receiver Matthew Golden is the youngest player on the roster at 22, and kicker Brandon McManus is the oldest at 34. Only McManus and long snapper Matthew Orzech are over 30, with defensive tackle Kenny Clark and center Elgton Jenkins getting there. The bulk of the roster is something between 23 and 26.

That might sound great, especially when mostly the same young roster made the playoffs in each of the past two years. But the Packers don't think promise is enough.

"We have a lot of young players who have played a lot of football, and they're very experienced," general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the start of training camp. "Old guys that have been in this league for a long time understand the opportunities you have in this league are not, you don't have a lot of them. Understanding that takes a little time. And that's where the urgency thing, for me, is. You've got to understand what's in front of us. We've got a really good football team, the capability of being there. You've got to take advantage of that."

The secret behind building a young team is the amount of picks the Packers have used over the past four years. Transitioning from the Aaron Rodgers era and what the covid years meant to the team's salary cap, Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball made a concerted effort to accumulate picks and add more cheap talent.

"We have a lot of talented guys in that room. I think before you're a championship-caliber team, you've got to go through a lot," Gutekunst added about the roster. "Every year is a different year. Certainly, these guys have the capability of turning into that. That's the goal, and we're excited to get started. But there's a lot of work that has to happen before we get to that point where they're a championship-caliber team."

It's good to be young in the NFL. It's great to be young and good. Now, though, it's time for the Packers to make that happen when it matters most on the field.