The final days of offseason workouts and camps are upon us. Packers players will have roughly five weeks off before training camp officially begins on July 23rd. Beyond possible minor moves like Monday's signing of TE Luke Lachey, the Packers 2026 53-man roster will be selected from the players with the club right now. The 2026 offseason saw a good number of 2025 starters and key contributors leave the team, while only a handful of new arrivals were brought in, along with only six draftees.
Departures:
Rashan Gary
Rome Doubs
Elgton Jenkins
Rasheed Walker
Quay Walker
Dontayvion Wicks
Nate Hobbs
Kingsley Enagbare
Colby Wooden
Brandon McManus
Arrivals:
Benjamin St-Juste
Zaire Franklin
Javon Hargrave
Skyy Moore
Tyrod Taylor
On paper, this is quite the disparity between departures and arrivals. Seven starters (counting McManus) and three key contributors left the team and only one sure starter (Franklin) was brought in. While some of the rookies have made some noise in OTA's, that seems to happen every year and then the Packers are reticent to use them when it counts. So, putting the new additions and rookies aside, who is going to help make up the talent gap from 2025 to 2026? As always, the Packers are going to count on every returning player to be an improved version of themselves. Here are my top five (in order of importance/impact) that can bridge that talent gap.
Javon Bullard - Defenses need players like Javon Bullard - heat seeking missiles that live for contact. While undersized at 5'10", his mantra is "see ball, get ball." Now entering his third season, Bullard has seemingly completed the transition from safety to slot corner, the position that suits him best. Covering large areas at safety was a weakness whereas playing as a box safety in smaller spaces put him closer to the ball at all times. Hit fits Gannon's "no scheme" (nudge, nudge, wink,wink) defensive philosophy and tendency to often play with more than two safeties on the field. Bullard provides the best of both worlds in that third player.
Marshawn Lloyd - Let's all whisper quietly when we talk about him, but Lloyd actually participating on the grass (during games!) for the Packers would be a huge boost for this offense. The coaches love him, his teammates love him, all based on the little they've actually seen of him when healthy. His explosion and burst out of a cut has earned him the nickname "yeet cannon" from his teammates. Paired with Josh Jacobs doing getting the tough yards, a running back with the potential to break off big runs and threaten the edges will go a long way towards making the Packers running game and offense less predictable and harder to defend.
Matthew Golden - You couldn't blame Golden for being disappointed in how he was used last season, but the WR room was packed and he needed time to learn a NFL offense. He bided his time and when finally called upon at the end of the season, all he did was produce when given the chance. Well, the waiting is over, Matthew. It's officially your turn now. Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks are gone, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have been signed to extensions and Golden will now be the third musketeer in the Packers starting receiver group. If Golden proves to be worthy of his first round drafting status, this will be one of the best receiving groups in the league.
Lukas Van Ness - Is the "Van Ness has been destroying OTAs hype" real? Is Micah telling us the Gods honest truth about Van Ness and not just shilling for a teammate? Has Lukas Van Ness learned some actual pass moves? All valid questions. The Packers' replacement for Rashan Gary is going to have to come through early for the Packers, as teams will have the advantage of not having to worry about Parsons early on. I'm confidant that Van Ness can be a physical force out on the edge, but he needs to show a lot more pass-rush wise to be the impact player you expect to be getting in the first half of round one of the draft. If Van Ness shows the supposed improvement when the pads come on, the defense will feel like it's running downhill.
Jordan Morgan - And now we come to another first round selection with something to prove. There was a lot of debate among the NFL Draft analysts whether Morgan was a tackle or a guard convert. We have come to know now that playing left tackle is how Morgan has always seen himself in his NFL dreams and now he finally gets the chance he's yearned for. It just so happens, the Packers may have the most riding on Morgan being a success over any of the other players mentioned above. The Packers don't really have anyone they could be confident in to start at left tackle if Morgan is not up to the task. If Morgan can prove to be worthy of the Packers' confidence, it will go a very long way towards solidifying what was a bit of a mess of an offensive line in 2025.
Go Pack Go!