Packers Roster: The biggest question for every unit going into camp
The Green Bay Packers’ summer roster is mostly set, as the team has just one open roster spot available at the time of this article. I took the time to go position-by-position through the Packers’ roster and pin down what the biggest question I have for each position group going into camp, the things I’ll be keeping an eye on when real practices begin. As a reminder, OTAs start next week (voluntary workouts started pre-draft, and there haven’t been any reported holdouts) and minicamp will kick off on June 9th. Jordan Love is locked into the starting job for the foreseeable future, so the quarterback drama in Green Bay is going to have to come at the backup position. Tyrod Taylor , a 36-year-old with 62 NFL starts under his belt, is certainly more veteran than Kyle McCord , a 2025 draft pick who spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. With that being said, though, Taylor only received $700,000 in guarantees in his contract , less than kicker Brandon McManus — who was released from Green Bay post-draft — made from the Packers this offseason. Taylor’s contract doesn’t really lock him into a roster spot, even if he has an inside track for the job. The Green Bay Packers chose to bring back blocking back Chris Brooks over ball-carrier Emanuel Wilson this offseason, which will give MarShawn Lloyd the opportunity to be the number two ball-carrier in Green Bay behind Josh Jacobs in 2026. Here’s the problem: The 2024 third-round pick has only played in one game over two seasons due to a brutal stretch of injuries. Obviously, with that track record, the question is whether Lloyd can stay on the field or not. If he can’t, it opens the door for a roster spot for Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez or undrafted rookie Jaden Nixon. With Jayden Reed under contract for years to come and the Christian Watson extension likely coming, the Packers’ receiver room will revolve around the trio of Watson, Reed and 2024 first-round pick Matthew Golden moving forward. Here’s the thing, though: We haven’t really seen them play together. Last season, in part because of injuries to both Watson and Reed, these receivers were only on the field together for all of 14 snaps, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Here’s the good news: On those 14 plays, the Packers averaged 11.4 yards per play. They were mostly on the field together for obvious pass situations, as the team threw 12 times out of those 14 snaps. Reed, famously, has been a slot-only receiver for the Packers. Still, Green Bay likes to move Watson inside in obvious passing situations, too, to get better matchups. On top of that, Golden didn’t play a ton of true outside receiver snaps last year, as he was often motioned from inside out or outside in, rarely stagnant whenever he wasn’t playing a true slot role — which he did frequently when Reed was injured. What does a Watson, Reed and Golden offense look like? We have no idea. We have about a quarter of a game of plays to go off of from 2025. Tucker Kraft should be back on the field by the start of training camp, and he’s not a liability blocker, so that helps Green Bay in the in-line tight end department. With that being said, neither Luke Musgrave nor Josh Whyle , the other returning tight ends from the Packers’ 53-man roster, is a plus blocker. Musgrave has been used in-line for most of his Green Bay career, with below-average results as a blocker, while Whyle has been used as more of a “move” tight end in obvious passing situations. After the draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted the team wanted to hit the in-line tight end market, but that value didn’t present itself (not surprising considering the crazy run at the position on Day 2). Still, Green Bay, with its run-first offense, will need a better answer than Musgrave or Whyle as in-line blockers if Kraft ever does go down. Look for the team to continue to bring in bodies throughout the summer. With Sean Rhyan receiving a new contract and Aaron Banks [... truncated ...]
