The Green Bay Packers are hoping to contend again in 2026 after suffering a disappointing defeat in the Wild Card round in 2025.
The team still boasts an elite roster and doesn't have nearly as many holes as other teams. As a result, the Packers haven't been extremely active in free agency. The team did add a couple of defensive pieces, though, in linebacker Zaire Franklin and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave.
However, the team lost more on defense than it brought in. Edge rushers Kingsley Enagbare and Rashan Gary are both gone, as Gary was traded to the Dallas Cowboys and Enagbare signed with the New York Jets.
Also, fellow edge-rusher Micah Parsons is still coming off a serious injury and likely won't be ready for Week 1. As a result, it seems obvious what the team's biggest need is now- edge-rusher.
Caio Miari and Daniel Valente of The Score recently identified edge-rusher as the Packers' biggest need and offered the following analysis:
The Packers might as well post a "help wanted" sign outside the facility. Micah Parsons likely won't be ready for Week 1, Rashan Gary was traded, and Kingsley Enagbare left for the New York Jets. They ranked first, second, and fifth, respectively, in sacks among the team in 2025. There isn't a more pressing concern for Green Bay than its ability to get after the quarterback.
As Miari and Valente mentioned, the Packers are very thin on the edges right now. If the season started today, Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell, who combined for three sacks last season, would be starters.
That's obviously not an ideal situation to be in. The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner, but the Packers don't even have a first-round pick. As a result, unless the team wants to rely on mid-to-late-round rookies, a move will need to be made before the season begins.
If the team doesn't want to make a bold trade, there are still some quality options available in free agency as well. Jadeveon Clowney, A.J. Epenesa, Joey Bosa, and Haason Reddick are all still available and could be fine stopgap options.
The Cleveland Browns still have Myles Garrett, who broke the single-season sack record in 2025, and the veteran has recently surfaced in trade rumors. While a tandem of Parsons and Garrett would be unstoppable, it's simply not realistic to make a trade of that magnitude one year out from making the Parsons trade.
In conclusion, the Packers will likely need to give a veteran free agent a call and hope that veteran provides enough until Parsons gets healthy.
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