The NFL season is upon us, which leads us to look around NFL rosters and wonder who is new to the team and how they’ll help their teams reach the next step.
In Green Bay, most of those new players for the 2026 season are rookies with an added twist.
When the Packers’ season ended, they were missing who were arguably three of their four best players.
Zach Bako-Bewele, Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft all missed at least most of December and the team’s 31-27 playoff loss to the Chicago Bears.
Those three will be back on the field at some point this season, with two of them potentially as soon as Week 1.
How are those players going to perform?
Brandon Cisse
Cisse was the team’s second-round pick, and the highest investment the team has made in a cornerback since they drafted Eric Stokes in the first round of the 2021 draft.
Cisse was far and away Green Bay’s best defensive back during training camp. The Packers are typically a team that slow plays their rookies but appear to be ready to feed their second-round pick to the wolves as soon as Week 1.
Chris McClellan
Speaking of rookies likely to be slow played, third-round pick Chris McClellan could certainly apply here. McClellan had a good training camp, but he’s caught at what is arguably the deepest position on the roster. The Packers kept seven defensive tackles following training camp. McClellan could be someone who plays at nose tackle or moves around the defensive line. That would be McClellan’s best bet to finding his way onto the field early.
Dani Dennis-Sutton
Dennis-Sutton may have been the most exciting of all Green Bay’s draft choices, because it still feels wrong that he was available at the end of the fourth round when Green Bay picked him.
Dennis-Sutton did not make his preseason debut until the final game of the preseason, but he did not waste any time making an impression, recording a sack on his seventh snap of the preseason. He created havoc in the backfield for most of the night and looked like a man among boys.
That is a positive development in a game like that one, because Dennis-Sutton is not going to be facing backup offensive linemen anymore. He’ll be one of Green Bay’s rotational edge rushers early in the season while they wait for Parsons to return. While Parsons is on the mend, however, Dennis-Sutton will have a chance to win a job as the first guy off the bench once Parsons is back in the lineup.
Jager Burton
Much like Evan Dietrich-Smith or JC Tretter, Jager Burton has worked his way into the team’s primary swingman on the interior of the offensive line. Burton is the primary backup at center, so he’ll find his way into the lineup if Sean Rhyan were to miss time with an injury. Before that, however, he could find himself filling in as early as Week 1 at left guard.
Aaron Banks has been struggling with a knee injury throughout the offseason, and the Packers are unsure if he’ll be able to play a full game. If he can’t, Burton is the next man up.
Trey Smack
Smack was one of the biggest stories of the draft because of the move the Packers made to get him. He also became the biggest story of the offseason, because he was money in the bank during games.
Smack did not miss a kick in exhibition play. He made multiple kicks of more than 50 yards. The Packers were preaching patience with their rookie kicker as he struggled early in the spring, but Smack has proven them right over his first big audition. His next test will be making a kick in a game that matters.
The Packers have given away far too many points in big games in recent years. They have either had a kick blocked or missed a kick in every playoff game since 2021. That’s a big reason why Smack was brought to Green Bay.
Tucker Kraft
Kraft has checked every box this offseason and says he’ll be active for a full workload against the Minnesota Vikings. The only thing that is worth monitoring with Kraft is his contract situation. Kraft still does not have a new contract in place, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2026 season.
The Packers and Kraft have both insisted that getting a deal done is a top priority for them.
On the field? Kraft is their best offensive player and looked excellent during training camp. He should be someone that Love and LaFleur can both rely on when the offense hits a lull.
Micah Parsons
Parsons is one of the biggest variables of the season. He’s currently on the PUP list, which knocks him out for the first four games of the season. His practice window, however, opens after the second game of the season. If Parsons starts practicing after two games, he could be back in limited capacity as soon as Week 5 against the Chicago Bears. It’s also possible that he continues to rehab beyond the month of October.
There’s no real timetable that has been given at this point, but Parsons is eager to return and will be pushing to return to play as soon as he can.
Zach Bako-Bewele
Of the three injured returners, Bako-Bewele’s return appears to be the one that is the most uncertain. He could play in Week 1. He could have to rotate out of the lineup with Anthony Belton.
Everything is unclear at the moment, which gives the Packers even more instability with the rest of their offensive line.
In a perfect world, the Packers want to build around their two offensive tackles with Bako-Bewele on the right and Morgan on the left. Green Bay’s offense is significantly better when Bako-Bewele is on the field, so they need him to play and play up to his previous standard.
Josh Jacobs
Most teams hope the offseason can end on a good note, but things ended on a sour note in Green Bay. Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list due to two charges that were filed against him.
Jacobs’ availability is unknown at this point. The league is reviewing his case and will likely levy some discipline against him. The Packers, to this point, have given no indication they’re going to release him.
Behind Jacobs, the run game is pretty inexperienced. Marshawn Lloyd is talented but has been unavailable. Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson have limited to no experience in Green Bay.
The lack of stability in the run game could cause Matt LaFleur to put more of a burden on Jordan Love’s shoulders until the day that Jacobs returns.
