Packers will have to lean on the secret sauce within the roster to overcome an insanely bad stretch of luck
Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, and Devonte Wyatt are all out for the season.
Sunday couldn’t have gone much worse for the Green Bay Packers. Beyond the loss to the Denver Broncos, the team lost star edge rusher Micah Parsons for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, and other impactful players suffered injuries as well — including right tackle Zach Tom and wide receiver Christian Watson.
“It’s going to be tough,” Matt LaFleur admitted. “It’s not going to be one individual that can do that. I think it’s the collective. It’s everybody playing to the best of their ability. Like I said before, they’re going to have to feed off one another and rally around each other. It’s going to be an opportunity for other guys to get in there, and they’re going to have to be impactful.”
Now, the Packers can’t feel sorry about themselves, as Matt LaFleur said after the game. But even though the team is still pretty much alive in the NFC playoff race, it’s time to acknowledge where the roster is and where it’s going to.
It’s time for the Packers to invest in their young players
The Packers won’t have a first-round pick in each of the next two years, and the salary cap is not necessarily in a comfortable spot. The team does have a lot of rising young players under contract for multiple years, including Parsons himself, quarterback Jordan Love, and several others.
But Matt LaFleur can be more willing to take advantage of roster pieces that will be around in Green Bay beyond this season.
Offensive line
Zach Tom left the Broncos game with a knee injury, and Darian Kinnard stepped in at right tackle. It’s ok to play Kinnard there, since he’s been a reliable piece for the entire season. He’s slated to be a free agent, yes, but the Packers can keep him around for longer for a reasonable price.
On the other hand, left tackle Rasheed Walker had a rough game on Sunday, especially because of penalties. If the coaching staff is willing to play former first-round pick Jordan Morgan everywhere along the line, it’s just time to give him a shot at left tackle, which is his natural position and where he should start in 2026.
Walker is slated to hit the market, and the Packers will probably be priced out. His performance in 2025 doesn’t even justify a big deal. Morgan played well at LT in the preseason, and he deserves a shot there — at least in a rotation.
Wide receiver group
Christian Watson had a chest injury, and it’s unclear for now if he will miss time — even though it’s not a long-term problem.
But anyway, it’s time for the Packers to trust Matthew Golden. He led the Packers in receiving yards against the Broncos, tied with Jayden Reed for 55 receiving yards — Golden had three catches, two of them after Watson had left the game.
The complexion of the offense changes when Watson isn’t on the field, and Golden is the only other receiver with enough speed to challenge opposing defenses down the field and dictate coverages. It hasn’t been an easy rookie season for Golden, but there aren’t many reasons to play Romeo Doubs over him at this point.
Defensive front
The edge group has been mostly bad beyond Parsons, and now it will have to operate without its star for the rest of the season. It’s good that Lukas Van Ness returned from his own foot injury, and he will start alongside Rashan Gary. Kingley Enagbare has been a solid run defender.
But it’s time to play Barryn Sorrell more. On Sunday, with Van Ness’ return, the fourth-round rookie was a healthy scratch. That won’t be the case anymore moving forward. The Packers can also have the debut of fifth-round rookie Collin Oliver at some point, and Brenton Cox is about to get back. Those young players, including Van Ness, badly need to step up — and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will have to help them like he did last year, with more simulated pressures and games upfront.
Green Bay Packers News
New report confirms growing suspicion about Micah Parsons’ knee injury, and the Packers are left gutted by what it means
Edge defender Micah Parsons suffered a knee injury against the Broncos.
