Rival executive shares honest truth about Packers roster and what it signals for 2026 season, with two obvious ways to overcome challenges
The Packers had a tough stretch late in the 2025 season, but there’s room for improvement despite limited offseason resources to add pieces.
The Green Bay Packers unquestionably lost a lot of talent this offseason. Moving forward, the roster will be without Rashan Gary, Elgton Jenkins, Nate Hobbs, Romeo Doubs, Rasheed Walker, Quay Walker, Malik Willis, Kingsley Enagbare, Colby Wooden, Emanuel Wilson, Zayne Anderson, and John FitzPatrick.
That’s a lot to overcome, and the Packers didn’t have the ideal capital to replace everything. The team was without a first-round pick after trading for Micah Parsons, and the salary cap situation is tight.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando wrote an article with reactions from rival executives about each NFC team’s draft class, and one executive mentioned that the Packers will have a tough time keeping the roster afloat.
“They drafted [Brandon] Cisse, who has had some moments, but it will be interesting to see how he plays as a pro, and it’s not clear how much he’ll contribute right away,” the exec said. “The defense is going to be a question mark. They are treading water in a division where Chicago has gotten better, Minnesota could be better with improved quarterback play and Detroit is still a physical team.”
There are still ways to get better
Despite the talent deficit caused by the losses, the Packers can still improve as a team in 2026. The first way of doing it is what the franchise always tries: Development. There is a plan in place to replace most of the players lost, but the success of it depends on how some players will step up in bigger roles.
“I’m a little worried about them,” another exec told Sando. “Taking a step back, it’s depending on how some of the guys they already have develop: Jordan Love, Matthew Golden, Christian Watson. They lost a ton on defense in free agency. I’d be worried about the corner position.”
The second way, and this may end up being the most impactful one, is getting injured players back. The Packers finished the 2025 season with edge defender Micah Parsons, tight end Tucker Kraft, right tackle Zach Tom, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, and wide receiver Savion Williams all on the injured reserve. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed also missed significant time during the year. And all these players are presumably back for 2026.
The Packers didn’t have much capital to add external pieces, but growth from within via multiple avenues offers a clear path for Green Bay to take a step forward in the upcoming season.