For a draft and develop program, the second part is as important as the first one. After seeing a lot of talent leave in free agency, the Green Bay Packers seem prepared to replace those players in the starting lineup, but depth will inevitably suffer.

Unless players who were already on the roster but barely played over the past few seasons can get back and serve as the bridge while the new drafted rookies come along. Four players in particular have a realistic path to get back and play impactful roles in 2026.

EDGE Collin Oliver

Oliver was drafted in the fifth round of last year’s draft as a hybrid edge defender and off-ball linebacker. The Packers see him primarily as an edge, but he missed almost all of his rookie year with a hamstring injury. His debut came in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings, when most of the starters had some rest ahead of the playoffs. Oliver played 17 pass-rush snaps and generated two pressures. With Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare out, he will undoubtedly become a more important part of the rotation — even if he’s behind Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox Jr., and Barryn Sorrell.

RB MarShawn Lloyd

In two years since he was drafted in the third round, Lloyd played a grand total of seven regular season snaps for the Packers. And that’s it. Several injuries killed his first two seasons in the league, but the Packers still seem hopeful that the speedster can get his career back on track. In the preseason last year, he had one good play, but overall he showed some lack of explosiveness and elusiveness — that may realistically be a byproduct of his sequence of injuries.

Because the Packers allowed Emanuel Wilson to walk, there’s an obvious void between Josh Jacobs and Chris Brooks as a backup running back, and Lloyd can be that — if, finally, he is able to be on the field and fully healthy.

T Travis Glover

A sixth-round pick in 2024, Glover was drafted as a developmental tackle. He had nine snaps at right tackle and four at right guard as a rookie in the regular season and did pretty well — until he had to get in a tough circumstance versus the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, playing five snaps at right guard and 23 at left guard. It went as bad as it possibly could. Last year, Glover suffered a shoulder injury and missed the entire season.

Now, more experienced and with that 2024 tape to evaluate, the big-bodied lineman can get back and look for improvement. Theoretically, it seems wise for the Packers to use him primarily at tackle, especially now that Rasheed Walker left and they need more options on the outside.

G John Williams

Williams was a college tackle, but the Packers drafted in the seventh round with the idea of moving him to guard. As a prospect, he was perceived as a solid fit for a zone-based run scheme, plus having solid footwork and pass-blocking instincts. He missed training camp and his full rookie season because of a back injury. And as a seventh-round pick, he doesn’t have a safe roster spot. But if he shows in the offseason program and training camp what the Packers saw ahead of the draft, he can be the next episode of a long story of successful late-round versatile offensive linemen for the Packers.

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Rasheed Walker got much less money than expected.

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