CLEVELAND, Ohio — We have the 2025 Browns schedule, and now it’s time to look at what each of the teams they will play this season has changed ahead of the season.
I will provide these opponent breakdowns over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the season as we look at the biggest addition, subtraction, best draft pick and what they all mean for when they play the Browns.
Next up on the schedule is the first non-divisional opponent on the Browns schedule: the Green Bay Packers. The two teams will meet in Cleveland in Week 3
Green Bay has gone to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and were eliminated by the eventual NFC champion. In fact, the Packers have been in the playoffs in five of head coach Matt LaFleur’s six seasons in charge.
What did Green Bay do in the offseason to try and extend that run?
Here is a look at Green Bay’s offseason.
**Biggest addition: CB Nate Hobbs**
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The Packers will have a roster going into 2025 that is largely unchanged from the one they had in 2024. But after former first-round pick Eric Stokes didn’t work out at corner, Green Bay went into free agency to address a hole in their secondary opposite Jaire Alexander.
The Packers signed Hobbs from the Raiders to a four-year deal worth $48 million. Despite only playing 16 games once in his career due to injuries, Hobbs has outplayed his fifth-round draft status with three interceptions and 19 pass breakups in four seasons in Las Vegas.
The Packers released Alexander on Monday, which makes the addition of Hobbs all the more important.
**Biggest subtraction: C Josh Myers**
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A big reason the Packers signed left guard Aaron Banks to a four-year deal worth $77 million was the anticipated departure of Myers. He indeed left Green Bay, signing a one-year deal with the Jets.
Myers never made a Pro Bowl in his four seasons with the Packers. But the former second-round pick from Ohio State had been a constant on the Green Bay offensive line, starting 56 games, including 50 in his last three seasons.
The combination of Myers’ departure and the signing of Banks pushed guard Elgton Jenkins to center.
**Best draft pick: WR Matthew Golden**
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This was one of my favorite moments of the entire 2025 NFL Draft weekend. With the draft being in Green Bay, the Packers announced they had drafted a receiver in the first round for the first time since Javon Walker in 2002.
Golden, the speedster from Texas, was in Green Bay and got quite the ovation from the fans he will eventually play in front of.
A Houston transfer, Golden caught 58 passes in 2024 for 987 yards and nine touchdowns. But he got better as the season went on and became such a weapon late in big games, including in the Peach Bowl vs. Arizona State when he caught a fourth-down touchdown pass to force a second overtime. Green Bay already has a good receiving corps for Jordan Love, but adding a dynamic playmaker like Golden was a great choice for them.
**What it means in their matchup with the Browns**
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The Packers finished third in the NFC North, but they were a team that didn’t really have a lot of weaknesses. They were top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense, and they were also ranked in the top half of the league in quite a few other notable categories including rushing offense and takeaways.
So they didn’t need to do a whole lot in the offseason. The big key for Jordan Love in 2025 will be protecting the football after throwing 11 interceptions in each of his last two seasons.
A key for the Browns will be running the football. Green Bay allowed 100 yards rushing in eight games last season and lost four of them. If their new look run game can be effective against the Packers, especially at home, it could give them a chance to win.
But against Green Bay, scoring is essential because under LaFleur, the Packers have been in the top half of the league in points every season. It’ll be a tough test for the Browns not only to score against an underrated Packers defense, but to keep up with Love and a dynamic Green Bay offense.
**Catch up on the series**
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