2026 NFL Season Preview: Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers



2026 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
QB Tyrod Taylor, DT Javon Hargrave, ILB Zaire Franklin, CB Benjamin St-Juste, KR Skyy Moore.
Early Draft Picks:
CB Brandon Cisse, DT Chris McClellan, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton. Packers Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Malik Willis, RB Emanuel Wilson, WR Romeo Doubs, OT Rasheed Walker, C Elgton Jenkins, DE Rashan Gary, OLB Kingsley Enagbare, ILB Quay Walker, CB Nate Hobbs.

2026 Green Bay Packers Offense:
The Packers have severe defensive issues they’ll need to address, so their offense was supposed to carry them. However, there are problems that have surfaced on this side of the ball, stemming from a recent off-the-field incident concerning Josh Jacobs. The talented running back was arrested for domestic violence that allegedly involved strangulation. It’s unclear what punishment Jacobs will receive, but if he misses time, the Packers will have issues running the ball. They already lost last year’s No. 2 back, Emanuel Wilson, so they’re down to MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks. Lloyd has the higher ceiling, but he’s always injured.

It’ll be up to “No Cookie” Jordan Love to carry the offense with Jacobs presumably unavailable for at least a portion of the season. This will be difficult because he’ll be missing some supporting cast members from last season. Two receivers have departed, with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks joining the Patriots and Eagles, respectively. Doubs is the key loss here, as he was a dependable target for Love. The Packers still have some talented pass-catchers, with Jayden Reed serving in the slot, tight end Tucker Kraft returning from injury, and the oft-injured Christian Watson being capable of making big plays, of course. There’s also 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden, who disappointed as a rookie. Golden, however, had a big performance in the playoff loss to Chicago, so there’s some hope that he’ll be able to carry that over into a potentially big 2026 campaign. If he can’t produce, and Watson gets hurt again, Love will lean very heavily on Kraft and Reed.

The Packers also lost multiple starters from last year’s offensive line. Left tackle Rasheed Walker signed with the Panthers, while center Elgton Jenkins departed for Cleveland. Walker is more talented than Jenkins, but the latter is very versatile and can play any position on the front. He’ll be missed if there are injuries. Jenkins’ replacement saw the field late last year, with Sean Rhyan taking over in the middle of the season. Rhyan was just a pedestrian blocker, but he’s young, so he may be able to improve. As for Walker’s replacement, that’ll either be Jordan Morgan or Darian Kinnard. Morgan is a former first-round pick, but he’s been a bust through two seasons. Kinnard had some nice moments at right tackle at the end of last season, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play well on the blind side.

The other three starting linemen will return. The best of the bunch is Zach Tom, who has emerged as one of the better right tackles in professional football. Tom was sorely missed at the end of last season when he suffered an injury. Meanwhile, Anthony Belton and Aaron Banks will continue to be the starting guards. This is not ideal because both struggled mightily last year.

With all of these departures, things will be difficult for Love, who is an unfinished product. He’s been inconsistent in his career, looking unstoppable at times, and then constantly throwing off his back foot the next game. Love will have his work cut out for him this year. Not only will he have to deal with all of these missing talents; he also lost his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to various hires this offseason.



2026 Green Bay Packers Defense:
As mentioned earlier, the Packers have severe defensive issues they must address. The pass rush, in particular, looks to be extremely problematic during the initial portion of the season.

Green Bay maintained an excellent defense last year, but that changed when Micah Parsons tore his ACL against the Broncos late in the season. The Packers did not win a single game after that. They had issues summoning a pass rush without their elite edge threat, and that will continue to be the case early in 2026, especially with Rashan Gary also gone. The Packers at least had Gary late in 2025, but with Parsons bound to begin the year on the PUP list, and Gary no longer being available, it’s unclear where the pass rush will come from. The Packers will have to rely on the likes of Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, and Brenton Cox to get after the quarterback. Van Ness has been a colossal bust as a former first-round pick, while Cox and Sorrell combined for a grand total of nine quarterback pressures last year. That’s nine quarterback pressures – not nine sacks!

The Packers won’t have much more success generating pressure from the defensive line. Aside from Parsons and Gary, Green Bay’s leading pass rusher was Devonte Wyatt, who logged four sacks in 10 games last season. Wyatt will be slated to start with newly acquired Javon Hargrave and Karl Brooks. Hargrave was an impactful player in the past, but at 33, he’s been in regression the past couple of years. Brooks was very ineffective in 2025, so third-round rookie Chris McClellan could compete for playing time.

Hargrave isn’t the only has-been Green Bay collected this offseason. The team also signed Zaire Franklin, who is coming off a miserable 2025 campaign. Franklin played well in the past, but is now 30, so the decline could be permanent. Franklin will start next to Edgerrin Cooper, a young, dynamic linebacker who could become a perennial Pro Bowler.

Aside from Parsons and Cooper, the Packers don’t have too many great talents on this side of the ball. The secondary is an exception, as Xavier McKinney is one of the top safeties in the NFL. Evan Williams, a recent fourth-round pick, has been a solid complement for him.

The cornerbacks aren’t as good as the safeties, but Green Bay has a talented group at the position. Keisean Nixon has developed into a quality cornerback, while Carrington Valentine was a decent starter last year. Valentine could be challenged by second-round rookie Brandon Cisse, a raw cornerback with tons of potential. Javon Bullard, a second-round pick from two years ago, played well in the slot last season.



2026 Green Bay Packers Schedule and Intangibles:
Green Bay is 174-63-2 at home since 1992 – the year Brett Favre first became a Packer. Aaron Rodgers continued the tradition; he was 89-20-1 as a host. It remains to be seen if Jordan Love can perform similarly. Love is 16-9 at home over the past three seasons.

The Packers have had issues at kicker since Mason Crosby’s departure. They used a sixth-round pick on Trey Smack, so perhaps he’s the solution.

Daniel Whelan had one of the league’s worst net punting averages in both 2023 and 2024. That changed in 2025. He ranked fifth in net punting last season.

Green Bay has a balanced schedule. It plays against the NFC South, as well as the Dolphins and Jets. However, the Packers also have to deal with the Rams, Bills, Patriots, and Texans.



2026 Green Bay Packers Rookies:
Go here for the Packers Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.



2026 Green Bay Packers Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks		Offensive Line		Secondary
Running Backs		Defensive Line		Special Teams
Receivers		Linebackers		Coaching

--Offseason Reports Lander-- Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Las Vegas Raiders Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Washington Commanders

2026 NFL Mock Draft | 2027 NFL Mock Draft

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