The Green Bay Packers are surrounded by question marks coming into the 2026 campaign. They opened the 2025 season as one of the best teams in the NFL, winning nine of their first 13 games before a flurry of crucial injuries down the stretch of the year.
Green Bay closed the season on a four-game losing streak entering the postseason, ultimately falling to the Chicago Bears in a rollercoaster Wild Card loss.
Entering the offseason, the Packers got to work, making a string of moves that have shaped the team ahead of the 2026 season. The front office locked down Christian Watson on a long-term deal, brought in veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, and added cornerback Brandon Cisse in the second round of the NFL Draft.
The table is set for a successful campaign, but there will still be challenges, especially during the offseason. Training Camp is slated to kick off on July 29, where fans will have answers for some of the offseason's biggest questions. Let's look at five battles for the Packers to navigate during their program:
1. Edge Rusher Rotation Amid Micah Parsons' Absence
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One of the biggest reasons for Green Bay's collapse was the loss of Micah Parsons down the stretch of the year. The four-time All-Pro went down with a season-ending knee injury during the Packers' Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos, and is slated to miss at least the first five weeks of the 2026 campaign. Jonathan Gannon will be tasked with building the team's EDGE rotation without his defense's top contributor.
Behind Parsons, former first-round selection Lukas Van Ness will likely be thrust into an expanded role, with the defense forced to supplement the All-Pro's production. Fourth-round pick Dani Dennis-Sutton will also take valuable reps in the early stages of his professional career.
2. Free Safety / Deep Secondary
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Gannon boasts a good problem to have in his secondary, as the Packers feature one of the deepest safety groups in the entire league. Xavier McKinney sustained his status as one of the top free safeties in football, earning a second-team All-Pro nod. Former fourth-round pick Evan Williams burst onto the scene with a breakout 100-tackle campaign. Rounding out the group is Javon Bullard, who emerged as one of the top run-defending safeties in the league last year, with Jaylin Simpson and Kitan Oladapo to boot.
Fans are eagerly waiting to see how Gannon utilizes his trio at safety, which presents arguably the greatest versatility of any unit in the NFL. McKinney, Bullard and Williams will anchor the back-end for a pass defense that ranked inside the top-12 a season ago.
3. CB2
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The defense found its next anchor at cornerback in Keisean Nixon following the departure of Jaire Alexander at the end of the 2024 season. Nixon earned the first Pro Bowl bid of his career in 2025, posting 72 tackles, three for loss, and an interception. While his surge has answered one question in Green Bay's secondary, it's raised another, as the team works to find a consistent contributor at the CB2 spot.
Former seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine has carved out a notable role in the secondary, though the team brought in free agent Benjamin St-Juste and second-round rookie Brandon Cisse. Both St-Juste and Cisse project as starting-caliber boundary corners, and could complement Nixon and a talented group of safeties. They will look to separate with an impressive offseason program.
4. Offensive Line
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Green Bay's offensive line endured its share of highs and lows during the 2025 season. Zach Tom sustained his status as one of the NFL's top tackles in his fourth season, but was limited to just 12 games due to injury. Former first-round pick Jordan Morgan is expected to step into a full-time starting role in 2026, while the guard tandem of Aaron Banks and Anthony Belton hopes for a swift turnaround.
The unit has some questions early in the offseason, but remains an overall solid unit. Tom, Morgan and veteran center Elgton Jenkins will anchor the unit, but fans will continue to monitor the interior of the line following an inconsistent 2025 campaign. The unit ranked 14th among PFF scoring last year, but could find its way into the top-10 for the 2026 campaign.
5. WR Pecking Order
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The receiving group in the Packers' offense will have a largely different look in 2026. Green Bay lost Romeo Doubs to the New England Patriots, subsequently signing Watson to a four-year, $110.5 million deal earlier in the offseason. The biggest challenge in the unit will be to determine which wideout will take over as Jordan Love's primary option in a pass-heavy offensive attack.
The front office selected Matthew Golden in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and the offense received notable contributions from Jayden Reed, but fans continue to ponder how the pecking order at receiver will fall into place. Monitoring offseason activity, I'd expect Watson to take a significant jump in both volume and production in year five, with Golden stepping up as a reliable No. 2 option.
