Aaron Rodgers (right) and (a slimmer?) Eddie Lacy will be back in Green Bay for the start of OTAs this week. Credit: Rick Wood

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Green Bay — The Green Bay Packers glided into the next phase of their off-season workout program Monday with the official start of organized team activities.

These workout sessions, which take place sporadically through June 9, are the loose equivalent of college football's spring practices. They ease the players into the three-day minicamp in mid-June that serves as the capstone of the off-season program.

There are plenty of story lines to follow, with the months before training camp offering a glimpse of what may come in late July and August. Here are 10 things we'll begin to learn about the 2016 Packers as they take the field for their first public OTA at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The practice at Ray Nitschke Field is open to the public, weather permitting.

Eddie Lacy's weight

Eddie Lacy has supplanted wide receiver Jordy Nelson as the most discussed topic related to the Packers. Lacy, the team's No. 1 tailback, was chastised by coach Mike McCarthy at the end of last season for failing to meet his physical responsibilities in preparing for the 2015 season. He was overweight, out of shape and did not take the necessary steps to remedy the situation once the regular season began. But Lacy has dedicated himself to reworking his body, according to McCarthy, and spent a large part of the off-season with P90X founder Tony Horton in both Wyoming and California. We may never know Lacy's actual weight — teams often list a player at the same weight throughout his career — but the eye test should be a simple evaluator of Lacy's progress.

Injuries

The Packers have a number of players recovering from injuries that either ended their season or were repaired shortly after the season. Chief among them is Nelson, whose torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in the exhibition season sidelined him for all of 2015. Throughout the year, coaches and teammates said Nelson was progressing extremely well, and general manager Ted Thompson joked that he didn't appear injured at all. Now nine months removed from the injury, Nelson's level of involvement during OTAs will be interesting to follow.

Also recovering from serious injuries are wide receiver Ty Montgomery (ankle surgery); linebacker Sam Barrington (foot); left tackle David Bakhtiari (five injured ankle ligaments); and right guard T.J. Lang (shoulder surgery). Long snapper Brett Goode (torn ACL) remains an unrestricted free agent.

Position changes

Among the most noteworthy stories of the off-season was the announcement by McCarthy that linebacker Clay Matthews will move from the inside back to the edge, his natural position. Matthews originally was shifted to the middle halfway through the 2014 season, when the inside linebacker position bore resemblance to a hospital ward. He embraced the less-favorable role again in 2015 for the sake of the defense as a whole: With Matthews in the middle, the Packers were able to put their best 11 players on the field. But McCarthy stood his ground early in the off-season, boldly proclaiming his intention to move Matthews back to outside linebacker. It will be fascinating to see where Matthews spends his time this week.

But Matthews is not alone when it comes to changing positions. Datone Jones, drafted by the Packers to play defensive end, is converting to elephant rusher, a term used by McCarthy and his staff to describe outside linebackers in the 3-4 defense. Think Julius Peppers and Mike Neal in 2015. Also keep an eye on defensive lineman Letroy Guion. He played mostly end last season opposite Mike Daniels, but there's a good chance the coaches will give him reps at nose tackle following the departure of B.J. Raji.

Suspended players

Just like last season, when Guion missed the first three games and Jones missed the opener, the Packers will begin 2016 with a pair of defensive players serving suspensions. Cornerback Demetri Goodson, best known for his special teams contributions, faces a four-game suspension without pay for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs. Defensive lineman Mike Pennel, a budding youngster with a great deal of potential, also faces a four-game suspension for violating the substance abuse policy. Neither player has faced the full contingent of media since the suspensions were announced, and Tuesday might be their first opportunity for explanations. Once the season arrives, both players are prohibited from practicing or playing during their suspensions. However, they can continue to train at the facility.

Jared Cook

Aside from inside linebacker, the tight end position was identified as an obvious weakness for the Packers. With injuries to Andrew Quarless (knee) and Justin Perillo (concussion, hamstring), the offense relied almost exclusively on Richard Rodgers, a big-bodied and sure-handed player whose lack of speed was so heavily discussed that many fans could recite his 40 time of 4.87 seconds by heart. Thompson addressed the position by signing Jared Cook to a one-year deal worth up to $3.65 million with incentives. Cook, a street free agent released by the Rams before the move to Los Angeles, brings a concoction of athleticism unseen by the Packers since the days of Jermichael Finley. His potential is immense, and Aaron Rodgers is far and away the best quarterback he's ever had.

Inside linebacker rotation

Let's assume all goes well for the Packers and Matthews' relocation to the edge is buoyed by solid play from the remaining inside linebackers. McCarthy and his staff appear to have a handful of candidates to choose from, including four players on last year's roster and one fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft. The incumbents, if they should be called that, are Barrington and Jake Ryan. But the former missed almost all of last season with a foot injury and the latter did not assume a starting role until Week 14. To suggest their roles are established is to bet the house on a small sample size. Behind them, players such as Joe Thomas, who played the dime linebacker position last season, and Carl Bradford, a former fourth-round pick by the Packers, also will compete for spots. And then there's Blake Martinez, the rookie from Stanford. His speed and coverage ability lend credence to the idea that he can contribute immediately, perhaps in the role Thomas played last season — or perhaps even more.

Wide receiver depth

Is there any position on the roster more intriguing than wide receiver? On paper, the Packers have an embarrassment of riches that blends size (Nelson, Davante Adams) and speed (Jeff Janis, Trevor Davis) and versatility in the slot (Randall Cobb, Ty Montgomery, Jared Abbrederis). And that doesn't even mention Ed Williams and Jamel Johnson, two players who spent last season on the practice squad, or the three undrafted free agents. For all of the flaws last year's struggles exposed, the well was refilled — and overfilled — with alacrity. Debates about who and how many the Packers should keep already have begun, and the season is still more than three months away. Thompson has some work to do.

New era at fullback?

At the moment, fullback John Kuhn remains an unrestricted free agent after his contract expired in early March. A source close to Kuhn believes the door is still open for a potential return, but it appears Aaron Ripkowski will be given a chance to win the job. Ripkowski was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round in 2015 and made the 53-man roster alongside Kuhn. He contributed almost exclusively on special teams, where his reckless demeanor and willingness to hit impressed coaches from the early days of training camp. With Kuhn temporarily — and perhaps permanently — out of the picture, the starting job should be Ripkowski's to lose. The only other fullback on the 90-man roster is Alstevis Squirewell, an undrafted rookie from Newberry College. Squirewell made the team after a tryout in early May. If neither of those options pans out, expect the Packers to give Kuhn a call this summer.

Masthay must compete

For the second time in as many seasons, the Packers have two punters on the 90-man roster. Tim Masthay, the starter since 2010, set a franchise record for net punting last year but was plagued by the inconsistency that prompted a competition in the first place. Puzzling shanks offset a number of great directional punts, and Masthay's hang time was significantly lower in 2015 (4.09 seconds) than it was in 2012 (4.35 seconds). So one year after Masthay fought off former Alabama punter Cody Mandell, he enters another duel. His competitor is Peter Mortell, an undrafted free agent from Minnesota who was born and raised in Green Bay. Mortell's grandfather and father have been the clock operators at Lambeau Field since the Vince Lombardi era.

Backup tackles

When healthy, the Packers boast one of the best and most experienced offensive lines in the National Football League. Their quintet of David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, T.J. Lang and Bryan Bulaga offers an effective mix of toughness and athleticism. But the line took on an ugly, permutated alter ego last season when injuries ravaged Bakhtiari and Bulaga, the two starting tackles. Their potential replacements either flopped (Don Barclay, Josh Walker) or were completely out of position (Sitton), and the result was too many sacks on Rodgers. All five starters should retain their spots, but it's the action behind them that is most intriguing. The interior of the line appears fortified with Lane Taylor, JC Tretter and Walker capable of manning the guard and center spots. It's the edges, though, that remain in question. Will Barclay make strides in his second year removed from a torn ACL? Will Walker develop into more of a tackle with a full off-season under his belt? Will second-round pick Jason Spriggs be able to contribute, if necessary, from Day 1? There's plenty to consider up front.