A lot of talent has walked out the door over the last week and a half. Romeo Doubs, Colby Wooden, Emmanuel Wilson, Zayne Anderson, Quay Walker, Kingsley Enagbare, Elgton Jenkins, Nate Hobbs, Rasheed Walker and Malik Willis will all play elsewhere in 2026. That is an insane list. Losing this much talent would cripple most franchises. But will it cripple the Green Bay Packers? That remains to be seen, but if the team wants to survive this talent exodus, they absolutely need the following 5 players to be good in 2026.
Notice that 4 of them are first round picks!
- Matthew Golden
There’s a lot of chatter out there about Matthew Golden. After his rookie season, many outside of Green Bay have become increasingly worried about Golden’s lack of production. However, those of use who really know how the Green Bay Packers operate can see exactly what is going on.
Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson all went on to become great Packers receivers, but they all had slow statistical starts to their careers. It was always silly to expect it would be any different for Golden.
That being said, the Green Bay Packers need Golden to answer the call and improve his counting stats in 2026. The underlying efficiency metrics suggest that shouldn’t be a problem. Golden turned in 2.12 yards/route run in 2025 which is a borderline elite number and trailed only Christian Watson among Packers receivers. Golden also showed an early ability to beat man coverage consistently in the NFL.
Anybody who is actually worried about Matthew Golden shouldn’t be. But that doesn’t mean the Packers shouldn’t expect even better play this season.
- Jordan Morgan
Jordan Morgan might be the most important name on this list. As a highly drafted player who plays one the premier positions on the field, it is absolutely essential that Morgan plays well in 2026.
In my recent memory, I struggle to think of a more wrongfully hated player than Morgan. I’ve said this all before, but I continue to tirelessly fight against the anti-Jordan Morgan agenda. Jordan hasn’t been that bad at guard over the last two years, and he’ll be even better at tackle!
Morgan was the highest rated interior offensive lineman the Packers had on the team last year. PFF gave Elgton Jenkins a slight edge in pass blocking and Sean Rhyan a slight edge in run blocking, but in combination, nobody on the team was better than Morgan. That might tell you more about the rest of the Packers interior offensive lineman, but still!
The good news is that Morgan never has been, never should have been, and hopefully never will again play at guard. From the day he was drafted I’ve beat the drum that he should be a tackle. Having seen how well Morgan closed the season playing at both tackle positions, I only feel even more vindicated.
Morgan has a ton of pressure heaped onto his shoulders, but I have no doubts that he’ll be able to deliver. The Green Bay Packers were right to let Rasheed Walker leave in free agency. I think there’s a good chance Jordan Morgan can be an improvement at LT in 2026.
- Lukas Van Ness
I’ve written extensively about Van Ness in the past, so I won’t go into too much detail here. But Van Ness is heading into a potential contract year. Having still never been a starter since high school, it is time for LVN to put it all together.
- Devonte Wyatt
The Packers defense fell off a cliff both times that Wyatt got hurt last year. To me, that is no coincidence. Devonte Wyatt is simply one of the best players on this team, and he’s been underrated by Packers fans for years.
There’s only four players on this graph that are better positioned than Wyatt. Those players are Quinnen Williams, Deforest Buckner, Cam Heyward and Jeffrey Simmons. Pretty damn good company to be in.
With the departure of Colby Wooden, the defensive line depth is even more depleted than it was last season. Expect the Packers to add more bodies via the draft, but these young players may not contribute right away. The team will have to wholly rely on Devonte Wyatt and new addition Javon Hargrave to carry an otherwise unproven D-line.
- Aaron Banks
After giving Banks what I felt was an atrocious contract, Banks turned in a predictably disappointing year 1 in Green Bay. At no point during the season did Banks seem like he was worth the big time pay check, and he was a constant target of complaints from Packers fans. However, it’s clear the Packers front office feels differently than we do.
Last week the Green Bay Packers restructured Banks’ contract. By pushing current cash flow into future years, they were able to lessen his 2026 cap hit, but by doing so, made him incredibly hard to cut in future years.
Looking at the money, it is almost guaranteed that Banks will be on the team in 2027, and there’s a decent chance he will be in 2028 too. Big sigh…
All of this suggests that the Packers coaches have faith in Aaron Banks. I guess it’s nice to know that someone feels that way!
That being said though, Banks was better down the stretch in 2025. If he can return to that form, and play like a league average guard at the very worst, then this won’t be the worst thing in the world.
The Packers projected starting offensive line currently looks something like this: Morgan – Banks – Rhyan – Belton – Tom.
Right now it doesn’t look like the world’s best offensive line. But here’s the thing, if the Packers decide to pick up a 5th year option for Morgan next season, then every single guy on this list is under contract for at least the next 3 years. The team could legitimately have the same opening day offensive line for the next 3 seasons. That would be insane continuity.
Hopefully that continuity can lead to improved chemistry and an uptick in overall level of play. But, none of that is going to happen if Aaron Banks can’t lead the group. He’s the big money free agent this all hinges on, and the Green Bay Packers continue to put their faith in him.
