Grading All 26 Major Roster Decisions Made by Packers This Year

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster includes 14 players who weren’t on the roster last season. That’s a lot of turnover, which means a lot of roster moves.

Here’s our grade of every major transaction.

Free Agency (Signed): CB Benjamin St-Juste

The Packers signed St-Juste to a two-year, $10 million contract, which included a $3 million signing bonus. He was excellent last season with the Chargers in 356 snaps and two starts but (apparently) was unable to knock off Keisean Nixon to be the other starting cornerback.

Still, he should push for playing time throughout the season and will provide quality depth should Nixon or Brandon Cisse go down.

Grade: B.

Free Agency (Signed): WR Skyy Moore

The Packers signed Moore to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. What a bargain. The Packers’ return game was nonexistent last season; Moore with the 49ers was one of four returners who were in the top 10 in punt and kickoff. He’s fielded the ball well on kicks and might be somewhat of a factor on offense for the first time since 2023.

Grade: A-minus.

Free Agency (Signed): DT Javon Hargrave

Not long after the Vikings tore up his contract, Hargrave agreed to a two-year deal worth $23 million, including a $10.5 million signing bonus. Hargrave missed the start of training camp due to injury and worked with the second unit upon his return.

He didn’t make much of an impact when he was on the field; the Packers are hoping that’s nothing more than a 33-year-old ramping up for the moments that matter.

Grade: C (for wait and see).

Free Agency (Signed): QB Tyrod Taylor

Nobody could possibly fill the shoes of Malik Willis as the backup. Taylor, who was signed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract, is the typical veteran backup quarterback – long in the tooth but with plenty of intelligence to help offset a diminished skill-set.

Taylor was 8-of-16 for 38 yards in the preseason but was better on the practice field. Again, he’s not Willis, but he’s got plenty of mobility. His arm isn’t bad, either. Mostly, he will be a superb right-hand man for Jordan Love in the film room and on Sundays.

Is Taylor good enough to win a game? Not like Willis. However, he’s good enough and experienced enough to not lose a game.

Grade: B-minus.

Free Agency (Signed): TE Jonnu Smith

Smith signed a one-year contract last week; terms are not available. The Packers are his fifth team in as many seasons, with 29 catches in his second and final season for the Patriots in 2022, 50 for the Falcons in 2023, 88 for the Dolphins in 2024 and 38 for the Steelers in 2025.

With Luke Musgrave sidelined indefinitely with a neck injury, Smith will give coach Matt LaFleur plenty of options in two-tight-end packages, whether he’s aligned as a traditional tight end or as a slot receiver.

Grade: B (assuming it’s a close-to-minimum contract).

Free Agency (Re-Signed): C Sean Rhyan

Officially, this goes in the books as an extension because Rhyan was re-signed just before the start of free agency.

Whatever, Rhyan received a three-year, $33 million contract. He parlayed a total of eight starts at his new position into ranking eighth among centers with his $11 million average. That’s how NFL salaries work, of course, but he will have to prove he is worthy of that big payday. Not just physically but mentally.

Grade: C-plus.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis is shown at training camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Free Agency (Lost): QB Malik Willis

The Packers acquired Willis from the Titans for a seventh-round pick in 2024. He was – by far – the best backup quarterback in the NFL the last two seasons. Willis signed a big contract with Miami in free agency, and the Packers could get a third-round compensatory pick in return so long as Willis stays healthy enough to play enough snaps.

Grade: A.

Free Agency (Lost): WR Romeo Doubs

The Packers drafted Doubs in the fourth round in 2022. Quite often, he was Green Bay’s best receiver. He also was suspended once, dropped too many passes for a player of his skill level and was a complete nonfactor down the field and after the catch.

The Packers are expected to get a fourth-round compensatory pick for losing Doubs. So, from a draft-capital perspective, they got four quality seasons for free.

Grade: A.

Free Agency (Lost): LB Quay Walker

A first-round pick in 2022, Walker topped 100-plus tackles in all four seasons. He matured into a quality player and leader. However, after forcing three fumbles and breaking up seven passes as a rookie, he had zero forced fumbles and 10 breakups the last three seasons. The Packers are expected to gain a fifth-round compensatory pick.

In essence, if you want to make up a trade, the Packers got Zaire Franklin and a fifth-round pick in exchange for Walker and defensive tackle Colby Wooden.

Grade: B-plus.

Free Agency (Lost): LT Rasheed Walker

In 2025, the Steelers let mediocre left tackle Dan Moore go in free agency, with the contract given to him by the Titans giving Pittsburgh a third-round compensatory pick. The Packers were hoping that would happen again with their decent starting left tackle from the past three seasons, Rasheed Walker.

Instead, Walker got a one-year, $4 million contract from the Panthers, so the Packers will be fortunate to get a seventh-round comp pick. At that price, the Packers would have done well to re-sign Walker, though it takes two to contractually tango.

Grade: D.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) catches a pass with pressure from cornerback Brandon Cisse. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Drafted: CB Brandon Cisse

It goes without saying that all rookie grades should go down as incomplete. So, consider these progress reports more than report cards.

Based on training camp and the preseason, Cisse, a second-round pick, is going to be a Week 1 starter. He has passed every test along the way. While he’ll take his lumps at times throughout the season, it’s probably a safe bet that the Cisse who will line up against the Vikings for the opener on Sept. 13 will have improved significantly by the time he faces them again on Nov. 15.

At this point, it appears far more likely that Cisse eventually will become a high-quality starter instead of a mediocre one.

Grade: A-minus.

Drafted: DT Chris McClellan

Coming out of OTAs, it looked like the third-round pick might be a Week 1 starter. That’s probably not going to be the case, but McClellan’s productive preseason suggests an immediate and important role even in Green Bay’s seven-deep defensive tackle room. There’s no reason to believe he won’t develop into a starter at some point early in his career.

Grade: B.

Drafted: Edge Dani Dennis-Sutton

The fourth-round pick missed the first two preseason games but was one of the top players on the field for the third preseason game at Arizona. From Day 1 of OTAs in May, Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell were the starters on the edge and Brenton Cox and Dennis-Sutton were the No. 2 pairing. That’s exactly how it will be for Week 1, with the rookie set to play a lot of meaningful snaps to start the season.

It would be incredibly interesting to have a crystal ball to see what Dennis-Sutton will become in two years. Will he be a good backup or a very good starter?

Grade: B-plus.

Drafted: C/G Jager Burton

It does not appear the fifth-round pick will be a Week 1 starter on a full-strength offensive line, but injuries are inevitable at a position filled with wrong-place, wrong-time injuries. Burton will be counted on to play key snaps at some point this season. The growth he showed from the first preseason game at Pittsburgh to the third against Arizona was promising.

Grade: B.

Drafted: CB Domani Jackson

Jackson started poorly (core-muscle surgery sidelined him for the offseason practices and the start of training camp) and ended poorly (four catches allowed, including one touchdown, against Arizona). The Packers were happy to get the sixth-round pick on the practice squad for what might wind up being a redshirt season.

Grade: D-minus.

Drafted: K Trey Smack

Over the last three seasons, the Packers are 24th in field-goal percentage. Based on the practice field, the Packers will finish toward the bottom of the league again with the sixth-round pick, who was the only kicker drafted this year. Based on the preseason, the Packers will never miss another field goal again.

He’s passed the four big tests so far – Family Night and the three preseason games. A much more challenging test is coming up in the pressure cooker that is the Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium for Week 1. A potentially close game in a raucous environment against a division rival – it doesn’t get much tougher for a debut.

Grade: B-plus (based on the preseason so, obviously, subject to change).

Fifth-Year Option: Lukas Van Ness

After the draft, the Packers picked up Lukas Van Ness’ fifth-year option. That will keep the 2023 first-round pick under contract through the 2027 season with a fully guaranteed base salary of $13.752 million.

That’s a crapload of money for a player with 8.5 sacks in three seasons. The Packers are betting on Van Ness’ pressure numbers from his injury-abbreviated 2025 season turning into sacks in 2026 and beyond. Really, though, is there any reason to expect a player who didn’t produce much in his first three seasons to break through in his fourth or fifth season?

Grade: C-minus.

Green Bay Packers receiver Jayden Reed runs with the ball during training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Extension: WR Jayden Reed

Reed signed a three-year, $50.25 million contract extension during the draft. It includes a $16.5 million signing bonus. The $5.85 million in per-game roster bonuses provide some insurance based on injuries. It’s really a two-year deal; the Packers will have to figure out what to do in 2028, when his base salary rises past $9 million.

Reed led the team in receptions and receiving yards as a rookie in 2023 and again in 2024 but missed most of 2025 after suffering a broken collarbone. He had a killer drop in the playoff game.

When healthy, he is a big-time weapon. Over the last three seasons, he is one of 111 receivers to be targeted at least 60 times. Reed is first in passer rating when targeted, ninth in yards per target and 12th in yards after the catch per catch.

Grade: B.

Extended: WR Christian Watson

Watson signed a four-year, $92 million extension in June. It includes a $31 million signing bonus. Really, it’s two years and reassess, with Watson due a $13 million roster bonus at the start of the league-year in 2028 and base salaries of $19.125 million in 2029 and $17.375 million in 2030.

As a playmaker and leader, Watson is the leader of the receiver pack. Coming off a torn ACL, he played in the final 10 games and caught 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns. Put that over 17 games, and Watson would have surpassed 1,000 yards. With more targets coming his way, the numbers could be absurd.

Watson was drafted as a deep threat – and he certainly is that, as his 17.0-yard average the last four seasons trails only the Colts’ Alec Pierce (18.7). But he’s a sure-handed receiver, a threat in every layer of the defense, a quality blocker and respected leader.

The money seems like lunacy for a player who’s never reached even 625 yards in a season, but that’s the going rate at the position.

Grade: B-minus.

Extension: DT Devonte Wyatt

The Packers signed Wyatt to a three-year contract extension worth $54.9 million at the start of camp. It included a $20 million signing bonus and roster bonuses of $7.3 million if he’s on the roster at the start of the league-year in 2027 and $7.0 million if on the roster at the start of the league-year in 2028. Like the other contracts, it’s two years and reassess.

A first-round pick in 2022, Wyatt had 5.5 sacks in 17 games in 2023, five sacks in 14 games in 2024 and four sacks in 10 games in 2025. There’s never been a doubt about Wyatt’s ability. It’s his availability. He’s never played 50 percent of the snaps in a season. Last season, he started all 10 appearances but finished with only 33.8 percent playing time.

The Packers need him to be a three-down, 17-game difference-maker. So far, he hasn’t shown he can be that player. But his pass-rushing ability has never been in question.

Grade: C.

Green Bay Packers lineback Zaire Franklin (44) participates in the DreamDrive bicycle ride before training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Trade: Edge Rashan Gary to Cowboys

With a bloated contract and coming off a vanishing-act second half of last season, the team captain had worn out his welcome in Green Bay. The Packers still managed to wrestle away a fourth-round draft pick.

Grade: A-plus (or, like a Christmas Story, A ++++++++).

Trade: LB Zaire Franklin From Colts

In a preemptive move with the forthcoming free-agent departure of Quay Walker, the Packers sent young defensive tackle Colby Wooden to the Colts for Franklin. Franklin had an excellent training camp and probably will be a team captain, so he’s been everything the Packers expected.

Franklin is 30 and coming off a down season. Still, the last three seasons, he had a combined 10 forced fumbles and interceptions. Walker had one.

What about Wooden, who was “The General” of the run defense? The Colts released him.

Grade: A-plus.

Trade: WR Dontayvion Wicks to Eagles

The Packers traded Wicks to the Eagles for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft. This year’s draft pick was used on Jager Burton.

Trading Wicks means more opportunities for the Packers’ top receivers – namely Matthew Golden. It also means they don’t have any proven depth. Meanwhile, Wicks will start for the Eagles after a superb training camp.

“He can attack the ball. You can see who has that anger to them, who has a little bit of rage in them. For the best. He’s got it,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said during camp. “That’s exciting to see. He runs great routes. It’ll be exciting to see him work this season with the aggression that he has.”

Grade: C (and will hinge based on the performances of Golden and Burton as much as anything Wicks does in Philadelphia).

Trade: RB Kaleb Johnson from Steelers

Johnson was an All-American at Iowa in 2024 and a third-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2025. After a dreadful rookie season, the Packers acquired him last weekend for a sixth-round pick.

He has the size and running style the Packers covet. Iowa runs the same offense as the Packers, so the transition should be easy.

“I think he’s hungry. He’s always been that way,” Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester told Packers On SI. “He has the two most important boxes. He has the physical tools to be able to compete at that level, and he has the want-to, right? Like he wants the ball, he wants to make a difference, he has the hunger.”

To get a big-time talent for a sixth-round pick, the reward is much greater than the risk.

Grade: A-minus.

Trade: TE Mark Redman from Rams

The Packers needed a blocking tight end since John FitzPatrick suffered a torn Achilles late last season. Credit to them for biding their time and waiting until last weekend to acquire Redman for a seventh-round pick.

Redman was an undrafted free agent in 2025 and has not played in a regular-season game. So, from that perspective, it’s not great value. But he’s got two training camps worth of experience and preseason tape to lean on. The schematic familiarity should help him get on the field immediately. The only question – and it’s a big one – is can he block real edge players in games that matter.

Grade: B-minus.

Trade: QB Kyle McCord to Dolphins

There are two ways to look at this. One is the Packers got a sixth-round pick for a quarterback they signed for free. That’s like digging into the winter jacket you haven’t worn since March and finding a couple $20 bills.

Two is the Packers traded their potential 2027 backup quarterback and will have to start the search anew. Keeping McCord as the third quarterback would have meant releasing the last offensive lineman, defensive tackle or receiver, but quarterback is such a critical position that it might have been worth it.

Grade: C.

Week 1 is just one of 17. Right?
Not so much.

There will be a lot at stake for Packers-Vikings in nine days. ⬇️https://t.co/ll4udfGjYM
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 4, 2026

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