Week 1 of the 2023 NFL regular season for the Green Bay Packers is officially 90 days away. That is exciting news because, among other reasons, the chatter surrounding whether the Packers are rebuilding or not can finally go to the wayside once real games begin. The team finished up their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) last Thursday and will start mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 13, which will conclude on Thursday, the 15th. The players will then be away from the team until training camp begins in late July.
 
During the team’s three-game preseason slate, Green Bay will have joint practices with the Cincinnati Bengals, its first preseason opponent, in Cincinnati and the New England Patriots in Green Bay the following week. The Packers will round out the 2023 preseason schedule by hosting the Seattle Seahawks on August 26. General manager Brian Gutekunst and every other front office across the league must trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday, August 29.
 
Below are some notes and nuggets, in addition to players that wore No. 90, as we count down to the Packers’ Week 1 clash with the Chicago Bears.

• The following is Captain Obvious-esque, but the Packers’ run defense must improve under defensive coordinator Joe Barry after last year’s abysmal performance, a season in which they allowed 139.5 rush yards per game (26th in the NFL) and ranked 31st in Rush DVOA (10.6%), according to Football Outsiders. If Devonte Wyatt can take a big step up from a season ago and if Lukas Van Ness can make an immediate impact, that bodes well for the entire defensive unit. The unit also needs linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker to pull their weight in stopping the run. Campbell, the former All-Pro linebacker, registered a PFF run-defense grade of 53.2 last year, while Walker finished 2022 with the second-worst run-defense grade among first-year linebackers.
• I am confident that Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs will be WR1 and WR2, respectively, for the Packers in 2023, barring injuries. However, who will claim the WR3 spot – rookie Jayden Reed or second-year player Samori Toure? Jason Vrable, the team’s wide receivers coach, said last month that Toure has put on between eight and 10 pounds. The team 2022 roster listed Toure’s weight as 191 pounds. “He’s probably, of everybody, the one that everyone around the building is like, ‘83 looks unbelievable right now.’” LaFleur has also spoken glowingly about Toure throughout his offseason media sessions. So, don’t be surprised if Toure starts the season as WR3, but we’ll see how things play out throughout training camp. 
• According to Pro Football Focus, cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas tied for the league lead, with Dallas Cowboys’ Daron Bland, in fourth quarter interceptions last season. 
• The Packers’ pass defense was surprisingly pretty good last year, despite not being able to adequately cover crossing routes to save their lives. They ranked sixth in passing yards allowed (197), ninth in Pass DVOA (-4.9%), and 14th in dropback EPA allowed. Will moving Douglas back to the outside, which sounds like the plan as of now, help improve upon those aforementioned numbers? 
• As Andy Herman pointed out on Twitter over the weekend, the Packers are 33-3, including 3-2 in 2022, under LaFleur when they win the turnover battle, but are only 5-14 when losing the turnover battle. The team’s first loss when winning the turnover battle since LaFleur took over at the helm? The 2020 NFC Championship. Because of course. 
• The Packers are +500 to win the NFC North as of last month, the worst odds in the division, according to two of the major sportsbooks. They have only finished last in the division on three occasions in the last 45 years (1980, 1988, and 2005). 

14 players have donned the No. 90 jersey for the Packers, spanning from offensive lineman Willie Manley (1950-51) to Jarran Reed last season and Van Ness this season. Below are three players that stand out. 

• Vonnie Holliday: Spent five seasons in Green Bay (1998-2002) and accumulated 20 pass deflections, five forced fumbles, 32 sacks, and 41 tackles for loss in 63 starts. He finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) All-Rookie Team in his inaugural season after producing eight sacks and 52 combined tackles. The North Carolina product followed up his impressive rookie season by finishing sixth in the NFL in tackles for loss (17) in 1999. Holliday played 15 seasons in the league. 
• Ezra Johnson: Played 11 seasons with the Packers (1977-1987), starting 86 games out of a possible 141. While sacks did not become an official NFL stat until 1982, Johnson finished second in the league in sacks with 20.5 in 1978 (unofficially). The first-round pick made the Pro Bowl that season, his lone appearance. Johnson also registered 14.5 ~official~ sacks in 1983, which was good for sixth in the NFL.  The Louisiana native is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Besides being known for rushing the passer, Johnson is also known for eating a hot dog on the sidelines during a 1980 preseason game, earning him a $1,000 fine. I’m sorry, but that is hilarious. 
• BJ Raji: A top-ten selection in the 2009 NFL Draft (9th overall), the Boston College product spent seven seasons in Green Bay (2009-2015), though he missed all of the 2014 season due to a torn right bicep. Raji was a member of the Super Bowl XLV-winning team and recorded a pick-six in the 2011 NFC Championship game that turned out to be the dagger. I don’t know what was more legendary – the fact that a 300-plus pound defensive lineman had a pick-six or his touchdown celebration. The following season, Raji recorded a rushing touchdown, becoming the fourth defensive lineman at the time to punch it in on the ground since the AFL and NFL combined leagues. Raji was selected to his first and only Pro Bowl in 2011.