The Green Bay Packers will be in the same boat as 31 other teams this summer regarding roster construction. Tough decisions will have to be made as the final number gets trimmed down to 53.
Let’s take a look at how things could look from a 53-man roster perspective entering training camp.
Quarterbacks (2):
Green Bay made it clear who the backup would be when they signed Taylor and showed Desmond Ridder the door. Instead of going the draft-and-develop route behind Love, the Packers will have a seasoned veteran in Taylor, 36.
Now what happens after those two is up for grabs between Kyle McCord and undrafted rookie Kyron Drones. Whoever wins that battle will likely have a spot on the practice squad this year. Drones fits the mold of what the Packers typically aim for with good arm strength and incredible athleticism. If Green Bay is looking for its next Malik Willis, Drones fits that profile better than McCord.
Running backs (3):
Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
There’s been no further word on Jacobs’ off-the-field legal troubles. So, until the Packers know more, they will operate with Jacobs for 2026, pending further notice. Even if the league conducts its own investigation and suspends Jacobs, it’s unlikely all of that would be sorted out before the end of this season.
Jacobs will then serve as the bell cow yet again, and the Packers will cross their fingers that Lloyd stays healthy for the first time in his career. They also brought back Brooks in free agency on a two-year deal.
It’s possible the Packers roster an insurance policy for potential issues with Jacobs. Therefore, Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon, or Pierre Strong could become Green Bay’s fourth running back. However, the more likely outcome is that the Packers will stash at least one of these options on the practice squad rather than reserve a fourth spot for RB on the 53-man roster.
Wide receivers (6):
Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Bo Melton
There’s a clear top three with Watson, Golden, and Reed. That trio will be responsible for most of the production and snap count totals at the position. Williams is a lock to make the roster, and Moore should feel good about his prospects given he is in line to be Green Bay’s returner.
The Packers have long been fascinated by Melton, but Isaiah Neyor or J. Michael Sturdivant could push him. Neyor and Sturdivant have the size-and-speed combination that the Packers prize.
Tight ends (4):
Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Luke Lachey, Josh Whyle
Kraft is hell-bent on being ready for the start of the regular season with no restrictions after recovering from a torn ACL. Musgrave never grabbed hold of TE1 in Kraft’s absence, but he’ll be on the roster until a trade materializes.
The numbers game here is interesting because the Packers could just as easily roll with three tight ends to keep a higher number at another position. However, we went with four, with Whyle and Lachey making the roster in our pre-training camp edition. Green Bay tried to sign Lachey earlier in the offseason, but a failed physical derailed the deal. The Packers circled back around later on and got things hammered out.
Whyle appeared in eight games last year for the Packers and did well in the role they asked him to play. Keeping four instead of three buys Green Bay a lifeline in case Kraft isn’t at 100% to start the season.
Offensive line (9):
Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton, Zach Tom, Darian Kinnard, Jager Burton, Jacob Monk, John Williams
The starting five is etched in stone with Morgan, Banks, Rhyan, Belton, and Tom. After that, things are up for grabs.
Burton, a rookie fifth-round pick, started at both guard positions and at center in college at Kentucky. He’s already caught people’s attention this offseason and could be a fill-in at multiple positions if needed. Kinnard feels like a safe bet to make the roster. So does Monk, despite Monk never really taking that big step in development.
The backend of things gets fascinating with names like John Williams, Brant Banks, Travis Glover, Dalton Cooper, and others in the mix. We opted to go with nine instead of 10, partly to keep four tight ends. Williams was a seventh-round pick last year and spent his rookie season on injured reserve. We’re rolling with him to claw out the last spot on the offensive line.
Edge rushers (6):
Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr., Dani Dennis-Sutton, Collin Oliver, Arron Mosby
Micah Parsons will start things on the PUP list and could miss up to half the season. In many projections, five might be the magic number, but we opted for quantity without Parsons and with many unproven options.
The sixth spot goes to Mosby, who may have more impact on special teams than on the edge. Still, it’s another option for the Packers to explore if he’s on the 53-man roster should things fizzle out with others.
Green Bay will rely on Van Ness to take on a much larger role, and nothing in his first three years suggests it’s going to click. Still, he’s had a really good offseason to date. The starting spot behind Van Ness is up for grabs, and don’t be surprised if Cox claims it.
People will closely scrutinize Green Bay’s edge rushers, and rightfully so, until Parsons returns.
Defensive tackles (6):
Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Chris McClellan, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse
The first four feel locked, maybe even the first five if you want to throw Brinson into that group. If the Packers go with six, and they likely will given the flip to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, that last spot should be a fun camp battle.
Stackhouse carved out a role last year after being an undrafted rookie. Jonathan Ford will have something to say about it this year. Ford, the Packers’ seventh-round pick in 2022, returned to Green Bay for last year’s playoff game against the Chicago Bears.
We went with Stackhouse, who occasionally looked worthy of meaningful snaps in 2025.
Linebackers (5):
Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann
This one doesn’t need much explanation. The first four with Cooper, Franklin, McDuffie, and Hopper are all locks. The fifth spot will come down to Niemann or Kristian Welch, and whether they make an impact on special teams above all else.
When healthy last year, Niemann was tremendous on special teams, so we gave him the nod.
Cornerbacks (5):
Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste, Brandon Cisse, Domani Jackson
It’ll be more important to see how things end at cornerback this season than how they begin. That’s because Cisse, a second-round pick in April, has all the tools to eventually become a starting-caliber cornerback for the Packers. Still, we don’t know whether he’ll piece it all together in 2026.
Many will be frustrated if Nixon and Valentine are the two starting cornerbacks when Week 1 rolls around. However, that’s the likely outcome. Green Bay could do far worse for starting cornerbacks, but it could also do better.
Nixon picked up way too many penalties last year and never rose to the status of a CB1. Valentine missed tackles left and right. Both are currently entering the final year of their respective deals.
Two rookies in Cisse and Jackson, and a veteran free-agent addition in St-Juste should push the top two.
Safeties (4):
Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo
The question here is the final number. Green Bay usually keeps five safeties around, and that could happen here despite us going with four. One certainty is that even if it is five, these four are locks.
Specialists (3):
Trey Smack, Daniel Whelan, Matt Orzech
Whelan and Orzech will be Green Bay’s punter and long snapper, respectively. Can the rookie Smack beat out Lucas Havrisik for the starting kicking gig? That would be Green Bay’s preferred result after using a sixth-round selection on the Florida kicker and later dumping veteran Brandon McManus.
We’ll put faith in Smack to win the job this summer.
