5 questions facing the Packers in training camp

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The 2015 Green Bay Packers boast an offense with the potential to break records, and a revamped defense that could gel and prove to be very effective - or unravel and wind up being the team's undoing.

Sound familiar?

Here are five questions facing the Packers heading into training camp:

Is Davante Adams as good as advertised?

Aaron Rodgers says second-year wideout Davante Adams is "going to be a star." If Rodgers is right, the Packers' offense could prove to be historic.

Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are already entrenched as two of the NFL's best wideouts. If Adams can ascend to that level, or near it, there isn't a defense on the planet with a prayer of stopping the Packers' aerial attack.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Adams turned in a promising rookie season (38 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns) and seemed to take the next step in the playoffs, but he's probably not even among the top five most promising wideouts in the 2014 rookie class.

An endorsement from Rodgers carries a lot of weight because he's played with some great receivers over the years, but expectations for Adams must be reasonable. His goal at training camp should be to continue the growth that got his quarterback so excited and prepare to step into a major role should Nelson or Cobb miss time due to injury.

Can the tight ends become bigger factors?

It's a good thing the Packers are deep at wide receiver, because they got next to nothing from their tight ends last season, and the prospects for this year look just as bleak.

Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers are atop the depth chart at tight end and should remain there throughout training camp.

Rodgers offers the most hope for the future, but he must continue to improve as a blocker, or his snaps will have to be limited. He graded out as one of the NFL's worst blockers over the first half of his rookie season, but showed real signs of progress down the stretch. The Packers would love to see that trend continue in camp.

Quarless is a serviceable player, but he may have already hit his athletic ceiling, and is probably best-used as a secondary tight end rather than a featured player. Then again, he's still only 26 years old and perhaps ready to mature into a bigger role.

Can Casey Hayward succeed on the outside?

The Packers lost both Tramon Williams and Davon House in free agency, but reloaded in the secondary by grabbing Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins with their first two draft picks.

Sam Shields remains atop the depth chart, and the incoming rookies project as slot corners early in their careers, which means the Packers need to find a new starting perimeter corner for the immediate future.

Casey Hayward has the inside track for the job, but he's mostly been a slot specialist in his three-year career. The former second-round pick says he knows he can be much more than an inside player.

"That's what people have seen and that's all they know," Hayward told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently. "At the times I've been outside, I've been elite. Just look at the numbers. I've been elite. The more opportunities I have hopefully I can show I'm an elite corner outside, too."

Camp will give everyone a good chance to evaluate whether Hayward's right, as the Packers' wide receivers will give him a trial by fire.

If Hayward can't hack it, the team will have little choice but to install Randall or Rollins on the perimeter ahead of schedule.

Who are the starting inside linebackers?

Like cornerback, veteran departures leave inside linebacker as a question mark for the Packers. A.J. Hawk is gone, as is Brad Jones. That leaves third-year pro Sam Barrington in one starting spot and a hole that remains to be filled at the other.

Carl Bradford is one possible solution. The 2014 fourth-rounder converted from outside linebacker, but didn't get into a game as a rookie. Joe Thomas is also in the mix. He impressed as an undrafted rookie at training camp a year ago, but his season was derailed by a knee injury.

2015 fourth-rounder Jake Ryan may have the best shot at earning the job. He played outside linebacker in college, but the Packers apparently believe his future as a pro will come inside. If Ryan's development is rapid, there's no reason for the team to hold him out of the starting 11.

And then there's Clay Matthews. Once an elite pass-rusher on the outside, Matthews kicked inside for much of last season and proved to be surprisingly effective.

Matthews has indicated he wants to move back outside, but the Packers may decide it's in their best interests to continue plugging him into the middle. If none of the Packers' youngsters step up, it may be the team's only option.

How will the offense adjust to a new play-caller?

Aaron Rodgers and his ultra-talented supporting cast will undoubtedly remain among the NFL's most prolific offenses, but precisely how they rank compared to the league's highest-scoring teams could be determined by how well new play-caller Tom Clements performs.

It's unusual to see a head coach fix what probably isn't broken, but Mike McCarthy will surrender play-calling duties to his former offensive coordinator and newly promoted associate head coach/offense. McCarthy hinted that stepping back from the play-by-play decisions in a game will give him a better view of the big picture.

Don't look for any major changes in how the Packers attack defenses, but perhaps Clements will bring some fresh ideas that will pay dividends.