And just like that, we’re back.

The Green Bay Packers’ 2026 season is officially underway as training camp opens today. Green Bay enters the new year with a revamped roster, changes to the coaching staff, key veteran additions, and much-needed depth at positions that it lacked a season ago. After another strong campaign that was ultimately derailed by injuries late in the year, the Packers will be looking to build on that success while hoping for a little better luck on the health front.

Camp Battles I’m Looking Forward To

Heading into camp, I expect most of last year’s starters to keep their jobs. That said, I think it’ll be difficult for new pass game coordinator Bobby Babich to keep second-round pick Brandon Cisse off the field for long.

Benjamin St-Juste has one outside corner spot locked down, but the other starting job is very much up for grabs. Ask just about any Packers fan, and they’ll tell you Keisean Nixon shouldn’t be starting, while Carrington Valentine has shown flashes but has also exposed plenty of weaknesses, particularly in run support and as a tackler.

History tells us the Packers typically don’t hand starting jobs to rookies right away. They like their veterans, and young players usually have to earn their opportunities over the course of the season. Still, I think Brandon Cisse has a legitimate chance to force the issue and eventually lock down one of those starting corner spots.

Another battle I’ll be watching closely is the race for the fifth wide receiver spot. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden are clearly the top three options, and you can shuffle that order however you’d like. Savion Williams should also see a noticeable increase in snaps this season, and hopefully Matt LaFleur has more planned for him than just gadget packages.

That leaves the final receiver spot. Right now, Isaiah Neyor appears to have the inside track, but I really like undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant out of Florida to make things interesting. I think he has a real chance to push for a roster spot, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he opens the season as Green Bay’s WR5.

This might be a bit of a hot take, but I’m also really interested to see what Anthony Belton can do at left tackle instead of continuing to play an unnatural position at right guard like he did last season. I understand why the Packers want to see what Jordan Morgan can do at left tackle after spending a first-round pick on him, and they need to find out if he can become the long-term answer there.

If Morgan doesn’t seize the job, though, I think Belton has the tools to develop into a quality swing tackle, if not a capable starting left tackle. Either way, the versatility he brings to the offensive line makes him one of the more intriguing players to watch throughout camp.

Key Positions to Focus On

Three positions stand out heading into camp: tight end, defensive end, and left guard. Injuries have already complicated all three with Tucker Kraft, Micah Parsons, and Aaron Banks opening camp on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, which carriers a mandatory four game absence if they are not designated for return before the start of the season.

Tight end is probably the biggest question mark entering camp. Not only is Tucker Kraft on the PUP list, but Luke Musgrave surprisingly landed there as well. It’s far from ideal to have both of your top tight ends unavailable to start camp, but it creates opportunities for guys like Josh Wiley and one of my favorite undrafted free agents, RJ Maryland.

I’m especially interested to see what Maryland can do. He brings a different play style than anyone else in that room. He reminds me a little of Harold Fannin Jr. coming out of Bowling Green, and I’d love to see the Packers find creative ways to use him in a similar role.

Defensive end is another position worth monitoring closely. Starting the season without arguably your best defensive player is anything but ideal. We still really don’t know what the Packers have in Lukas Van Ness. Despite all the hype surrounding him, he simply hasn’t produced consistently enough.

Behind him, Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby will have opportunities, but I’m especially interested in Barryn Sorrell, who spent much of the offseason training with Micah Parsons. Hopefully that work translates into a noticeable Year 2 jump.

Colin Oliver feels more like a special teams contributor than someone ready to provide meaningful defensive production. Then there’s Dani Dennis-Sutton, Green Bay’s fourth-round pick out of Penn State. Given his production in college, I was honestly surprised he lasted until Day 3 of the draft. I hope he can contribute immediately because someone from this group is going to have to step up during the first month of the season while Parsons works his way back.

Left guard also remains a major question mark. Aaron Banks looked like a solid free-agent signing on paper, but so far he has done everything except prove he was worth the contract Brian Gutekunst gave him. Starting camp on the PUP list certainly doesn’t help.

I do like the continuity of Sean Rhyan moving over to center, and I’d love to see what he can do over a full season there. Right guard is still a question mark. Anthony Belton struggled through an inconsistent rookie season, and I think third-round pick Jager Burton has a legitimate chance to challenge him for that starting job during camp.

Second- and Third-Year Jumps

As exciting as the new additions are, Green Bay’s success this season will depend just as much on the development of its second- and third-year players.

The first—and probably the most obvious—is Matthew Golden. With the departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, Golden should see a significant increase in both targets and overall responsibility. I expect him to become one of the featured pieces in a passing game that figures to be much more condensed than it was a year ago.

I said it last year, and I’ll say it again this year: a healthy MarShawn Lloyd is the missing piece that can unlock this Packers offense.

Matt LaFleur loves establishing a downhill running game to control the clock, but today’s NFL is also about explosive plays. Just look at players like Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and James Cook. Those offenses always have the threat of a home run every time they hand the ball off.

Josh Jacobs is still an outstanding running back, but as last season wore on, his explosiveness wasn’t quite the same. Lloyd brings a completely different element. At 5-foot-10, 220 pound running back with 4.4 speed, he’s built like a power back but moves like someone much smaller. His running style reminds me a lot of Jahmyr Gibbs, and if he can stay healthy, he gives Green Bay an explosive dimension that was missing for stretches last season.

Finally, I’m excited to see what Jordan Morgan does in Year 3. After bouncing around the offensive line and spending time at right guard, he finally has an opportunity to settle into the left tackle position he was drafted to play.

It’s also hard to imagine he plays worse than Rasheed Walker did during the second half of last season, when Walker became enough of a liability that Morgan eventually replaced him and looked solid in limited snaps.

If Morgan can establish himself as Green Bay’s long-term answer at left tackle—and potentially develop into the All-Pro caliber player the Packers envisioned when they drafted him—it changes everything. It stabilizes the offensive line, gives Jordan Love more time to push the ball downfield, and opens up an offense that still feels like it has another level to reach.