With the recent injuries to the Green Bay Packers, I noticed a lot of you have already started talking about the 2026 season. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper dive into what the 2026 roster looks like right now. Between players under contract (excluding the expected cap casualty of Elgton Jenkins and exclusive rights free agents (more on them later), the Packers should return 44 members of their active roster next season, giving them nine open spots on the 53-man roster in 2026.
Before we touch on who is in or out for next season, though, let’s quickly talk about the different types of free agents.
- Unrestricted free agents (UFA): This is what you think when you think of free agents. UFAs are able to hit the open market without the team having any sort of first right of refusal.
- Restricted free agents (RFA): RFAs are players who have been credited for three NFL seasons, but not four, and are on expiring contracts. To hit UFA, a player must have four credited seasons, so RFAs can be hit with three different tenders. If they don’t receive one of these tenders from their original team, they hit UFA.
- Right of first refusal: An original team has the opportunity to match any contract that another team attempts to sign the player to. The cost for this tender, a one-year deal, was $3.3 million in 2025.
- Second round tender: The original team receives a second-round pick if the player signs with another squad. In 2025, the cost of this tender was $5.3 million.
- First round tender: The original team receives a first-round pick if the players signs with another squad. In 2025, the cost of this tender was $7.5 million.
- Exclusive rights free agents (ERFA): Exclusive rights free agents are players who have fewer than three credited NFL seasons, meaning they are unable to qualify for either UFA or RFA, but are on expiring contracts. These players are able to be retained for what is basically the league-minimum, based on their expierience in the league. These players are almost always given an ERFA tender. This is why we’re going to be including ERFAs as players who are functionally already under contract with the Packers in 2026.
- Reserve/Futures: These players are practice squad players and street free agents who are eligible to sign reserve/futures deals at the end of teams’ seasons but before the new league year begins. These players usually signed two-year contracts that amount to the league minimum for their experience. Practice squad players who are retained always sign reserve/futures deals, but not every practice squad player gets the oppotunity to sign them (they sometimes are replaced by other street free agents once a team’s season ends).
Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into the position by position breakdown of the Packers’ 2026 roster. The count of returning players by position will be in parenthesis and will include all players under contract and ERFAs, for reasons already mentioned above.
Quarterback (1)
- Jordan Love
- Malik Willis (UFA)
- Clayton Tune (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
Quietly, one of the bigger draft needs that the Packers are going to have next offseason is going to be for their backup quarterback position, as it seems highly unlikely that Clayton Tune, who was on the street after camp cuts, will come in and be the team’s backup in 2026. It’s also unlikely that Green Bay, a team that will functionally have no cap space this offseason if they even make one sizeable extension (and they have a lot on the horizon) will be able to ink quarterback Malik Willis to the $5 million to $8 million per year contract that he will likely receive in free agency.
I would not be shocked if the Packers, who know they’re staring down a cap crunch, decide to spend a third- or fourth-round pick at the position just to lock down the backup quarterback job for several years. Remember, the team was forced to reach for Sean Clifford the last time they were in the position, leading to them then spending a pick on Michael Pratt to replace Clifford, failing on that swing, and spending a third pick to add Malik Willis.
This quarterback class isn’t great at the top, but there should be some late Day 2/early Day 3 talent left on the board, like Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Miami’s Carson Beck and Penn State’s Drew Allar. Is it better to spend a fourth in this class than spend late pick after late pick to find a backup again when you don’t have the cap space to sign a veteran? Long-term, that could be a solid choice.
Need: A true backup caliber quarterback once Malik Willis leaves.
Running Back (2)
- Josh Jacobs
- MarShawn Lloyd
- Chris Brooks (RFA)
- Emanuel Wilson (RFA)
- Pierre Strong Jr. (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
Keep an eye on the Pierre Strong Jr. situation as the season unfolds, because the Packers have already exhausted all three of his call-ups this year, meaning that he cannot play in games unless he’s a member of the 53-man roster. If he’s not replaced on the practice squad, by a player who hasn’t exhausted his call-up eligibility, then Green Bay might like him enough to actually give him a chance to make the roster next year.
The big issue that the Packers will have at this position is that their number two and three backs this season, Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks, are going to be restricted free agents. Green Bay likely won’t give either the minimum $3.3 million tender (2025 number), which will make them unrestricted free agents. From there, it’s anyone’s guess whether Green Bay will be the highest bidder to retain their services.
Personally, I think Brooks has the higher chance of returning to the Packers in 2026, in part because he’s not a ball-carrier and in part because Green Bay will probably try to make the often-injured MarShawn Lloyd work. Lloyd has only played in one game in two years with the Packers, but he was a third-round pick. They’ve also talked up his ability as a pass-catcher, which is really the role that Wilson has played for Green Bay when Jacobs is healthy, as Brooks is the blocking back on the team.
I could see the Packers adding a body at this position, but could also easily see the team just running it back with Jacobs, Brooks, Lloyd and Strong. We’ll learn more in the spring.
Need: A backup ball-carrier if at least one of Emanuel Wilson or Pierre Strong doesn’t come back.
Receiver (5)
- Romeo Doubs (UFA)
- Christian Watson
- Jayden Reed
- Dontayvion Wicks
- Matthew Golden
- Savion Williams
- Will Sheppard (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Isaiah Neyor (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Jakobie Keeney-James (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
I didn’t include Bo Melton into this calculas, but you can add him here if your heart desires. Romeo Doubs will probably net the Packers a fourth- or fifth-round compensatory draft pick for the 2027 draft when he hits free agency this offseason. Beyond him, the rest of Green Bay’s receiver unit will return for 2026. The only “need” here if the team is looking a year ahead, as each of Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will all be entering a contract season in 2026.
The team probably can only keep one of them long-term, hence the drafting of Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in the top-100 last April. Still, there will need to be backfilling at the position eventually.
It’s worth mentioning here that Will Sheppard, who has some punt return experience in college and with the Packers in the 2025 preseason, was activated from the practice squad on Thanksgiving. He didn’t get any playing time, but he seems first up in the pecking order among the practice squad receivers.
Need: Maybe some backfilling for 2027.
Tight End (2)
- Tucker Kraft
- John FitzPatrick (UFA)
- Luke Musgrave
- Josh Whyle (RFA)
- McCallan Castles (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Drake Dabney (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
If the Packers want to, they can probably being back either John FitzPatrick or Josh Whyle, who are likely to hit the open market. FitzPatrick was a restricted free agent last offseason, wasn’t given a tender by Green Bay and still re-signed with the team on a $1.5 million contract (much less than the minimum tender).
Should the Packers want some long-term stability at the position, behind Tucker Kraft on the depth chart, I could see the team adressing the position in the draft. Tight end and linebacker are probably the only above average positions in this draft class, based on conversations that I’ve had with scouts so far, and it’s unlikely that either FitzPatrick or Whyle would re-sign on cheap multi-year deals. On top of that Luke Musgrave, like Kraft, is going into a contract year, too.
Need: Let’s wait and see what John FitzPatrick and Josh Whyle do in free agency.
Offensive Line (8)
- LT Rasheed Walker (UFA)
- LT Aaron Banks
- C Sean Rhyan (UFA)
- RG Anthony Belton
- RT Zach Tom
- Elgton Jenkins (likely cap casualty)
- Jordan Morgan
- Darian Kinnard (RFA)
- Travis Glover
- Jacob Monk
- John Williams
- Donovan Jennings (ERFA)
- Brant Banks (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Dalton Cooper (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Lecitus Smith (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
Starting left tackle Rasheed Walker will almost certainly leave in free agency, net the Packers a fourth-round compensatory draft pick in 2027, and his replacement will almost certainly be 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan, who was forced to play out of position at guard for his first two seasons in Green Bay.
The tricky one is guessing whether or not Sean Rhyan, who replaced Elgton Jenkins at center after Jenkins’ injury, will come back to the team. His market is probably the toughest one to predict for the Packers, but they should have the flexibility to get it done, if that’s the route they want to go down.
As far as restricted free agents go, the only player who really has a chance to have a tender sent his way, in my opinion, is Darian Kinnard, who the team traded for at the cutdown deadline and has played the sixth-offensive lineman and backup right tackle role for the team in 2025. There’s worse ways you can spend $3.3 million.
If the Packers bring back Rhyan and Kinnard, they’ll have 9 battle-tested NFL offensive linemen returning to the team and rookie draft pick John Williams, who remains on the injured reserve with a back injury. At that point, Green Bay may feel fine at the position and just roll with Morgan-Aaron Banks-Rhyan-Anthony Belton-Zach Tom (left to right) with Kinnard being their top sub in 2026.
Both Brant Banks and Lecitus Smith were called up to the gameday roster for the Dallas Cowboys game, when the line was really banged up. Smith has been off and on the Packers’ roster for years, but Green Bay seems invested in both Banks and Dalton Cooper long-term.
Cooper was a pre-draft visitor for the Packers this spring.
Need: A center if Sean Rhyan isn’t re-signed. Some depth if Darian Kinnard isn’t hit with a tender.
Defensive End (5)
- Micah Parsons
- Rashan Gary
- Lukas Van Ness
- Kingsley Enagbare (UFA)
- Barren Sorrell
- Collin Oliver
- Brenton Cox Jr. (RFA)
- Arron Mosby (RFA)
Based on Christian Watson’s recovery timeline from a clean ACL tear (we do not know that Micah Parson’s tear is clean at this point in time), Parsons will probably miss the first month of the 2026 regular season. The Packers have a lot of options at the position right now, including trading Rashan Gary or re-signing Kinsgley Enagbare, but we’ll just have to see how those options unfold down the line.
I’m not comfortable deciding whether this is going to be a “need” for the team or not until we get closer to the draft. Don’t be surprised if the Packers bring back Arron Mosby to play special teams, though. He’s really more of a special teams player than a defender, as he’s played everything from defensive end to off-ball linebacker in his NFL career.
Need: Let’s figure out what happens with Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare before we make any claims.
Defensive Tackle (6)
- Devonte Wyatt
- Colby Wooden
- Karl Brooks
- Warren Brinson
- Jordon Riley
- Quinton Bohanna (UFA)
- Nazir Stackhouse
- James Ester (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Dante Barnett (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
So…defensive tackle isn’t a good position for the Packers. I think you could argue that it’s their least talented position on the roster. With that being said, Green Bay has a lot of cheap multi-year deals on the roster, too, and I don’t think they want to just get rid of those when the team is short on cap space.
Not only did the Packers poach Jordon Riley from the New York Giants’ practice squad this season, but Riley is on a two-year contract that means he will be back on the team in 2026, if Green Bay choses. The Packers also seemed to like Nazir Stackhouse enough to “redshirt” him his rookie season, which adds yet another number to the equation.
So, ultimately, Green Bay will return six defensive tackles that played in games for them in 2025 to the 2026 team and seem to have no interest in getting rid of any of them. So where does improvement come from, if it’s not experience gained? I’m not sure.
Need: Are they willing to cut a cheap deal for the sake of additional talent?
Linebacker (3)
- Quay Walker (UFA)
- Edgerrin Cooper
- Isaiah McDuffie
- Ty’Ron Hopper
- Nick Niemann (UFA)
- Kristian Welch (UFA)
- Jamon Johnson (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
This one is pretty straight forward. Each of Quay Walker, Nick Niemann and Kristian Welch are going to be unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. If the Packers don’t extend Walker, he will likely leave for a deal in the $15 million range and earn them a 2027 compensatory fourth-round pick.
Neither Niemann or Welch were in Green Bay to play defense, rather special teams, so there is the potential of one of them re-signing for cheap. With that being said, the Packers need to keep at least five off-ball linebackers on their 53-man roster, if they continue to play a 4-3 defense (we’ll see who Matt LaFleur replaces Jeff Hafley with, if Hafley takes a head coaching job somewhere). At minimum, Green Bay will need a body here. Maybe two.
Jamon Johnson, an undrafted rookie, has been called up for a couple of games this year and has played some special teams snaps for Green Bay. He’s another option.
This is a side note, but I hope the team gives Ty’Ron Hopper the oppotunity to play Mike linebacker in 2026, instead of Isaiah McDuffie. McDuffie’s limited range has really hurt the Packers in coverage when he’s stepped in for Walker. Last weekend, he gave up a long touchdown in one of the few plays that he was on the field at the Mike position while Walker was dealing with an injury.
Need: They need one more real linebacker and one more special teams contributor. Those players might be internal.
Cornerback (5)
- Keisean Nixon
- Carrington Valentine
- Nate Hobbs
- Kamal Hadden
- Bo Melton (ERFA)
- Shemar Bartholomew (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
There’s a lot of free agent lists out there, but I have confirmed that Bo Melton is going to be an exclusive rights free agent, not a restricted free agent (like some sites list him) going into 2026. He will likely come back, along with the rest of the cornerback unit.
I don’t think the Packers will get rid of either Keisean Nixon or Carrington Valentine, because of how cheap their contracts are, or Nate Hobbs, who just signed a $48 million free-agent deal this offseason. I can see a world where this team just runs it back at the position and lets them compete, but there is room to add one more player at the position, if they really wanted to. They’ll need to get lighter numbers at a position to do so, though, likely tight end, receiver or on the defensive line.
Need: Maybe one more player to add to the competition.
Safety (4)
- Xavier McKinney
- Evan Williams
- Javon Bullard
- Zayne Anderson (UFA)
- Kitan Oladapo
- Jaylin Simpson (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
- Johnathan Baldwin (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
The only free agent here is going to be Zayne Anderson, who is ahead of Kitan Oladapo on the depth chart, but is mostly used on special teams. I could see Anderson returning to Green Bay on a cheap contract, but we’ll have to see what his market is in free agency.
With the way that Rich Bisaccia plays special teams, the Packers almost have to have five safeties available on gamedays, especially if Green Bay only keeps five linebackers up, like they have under Hafley.
For what it’s worth, Jaylin Simpson, a former draft pick who has split time at cornerback and safety in his NFL career, was called up on Thanksgiving but didn’t play for the Packers. Notably, Green Bay was short on cornerbacks, not safeties, in that game, so he might be a cornerback for the Packers moving forward.
Need: A fifth safety, be it Zayne Anderson re-signing for cheap or adding a rookie.
Kicker (1)
- Brandon McManus
- Lucas Havrisik (PS/reserve-futures candidate)
Punter (1)
- Daniel Whelan
Long Snapper (1)
- Matt Orzech
I think the Packers are just going to run it back with their specialists. There’s the end of the special teams analysis.
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So that’s what Green Bay is working with. They functionally have 44 men coming back from their 53-man roster and injury lists, leaving nine spots open to fight for. They won’t have much cap space to play around with and probably don’t want to sign outside free agents this year because any addition will just be offsetting the compensatory draft picks that they’d receive for losing free agent talent. And they’ll need those picks, desperately, in 2027.
Below are the picks that the Packers own in next year’s draft. For the most part, the alterations to Green Bay’s roster over the next offseason will come from these selections, internal re-signings and the signing of undrafted free agent rookies.
Packers 2026 draft picks
- 2nd: 55th
- 3rd: 87th
- 4th: 123rd
- 5th: 163rd
- 6th: 203rd
- 7th: 238th
- 7th: 254th (compensatory-Eric Wilson)
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: CBS 
