‘Internal Acquisitions’: Key Player at Every Position on Defense

Internal growth will be critical for the Packers, who have limited resources in free agency and the draft. Here’s a look at every position on defense.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) takes down Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers’ offseason is off and running. With the coaching staff for the 2026 season mostly in place, there were some changes on the defensive side of the ball.

There will be changes in personnel just like there were on the coaching staff. Some longtime contributors such as Quay Walker and Kingsley Enagbare are slated to hit free agency when the new league-year begins.

When Jonathan Gannon gets everything started with his vision of the defense, he’ll be looking to improve on a group that collapsed as the 2025 season came to a close. The Packers will add players to this side of the ball, but they’ll be counting on “internal acquisitions” – injured players returning to the lineup or young, talented players making a big jump in play – even more.

Following our take on the offensive side of the ball, here are our thoughts on who could be the most important internal acquisitions the Packers could get on defense

Defensive End: Lukas Van Ness Becomes Micah Parsons’ Running-Mate

The acquisition of Micah Parsons was supposed to make the life of Rashan Gary significantly easier. For the first two months of the season, it looked like it did. Gary led the league in sacks with 7.5 after getting two sacks at Pittsburgh.

He finished the season with 7.5 sacks and did not register a sack or tackle for loss in the final two months of the season. His disappearance was magnified when Parsons missed the last three games of the regular season and one postseason game with a torn ACL.

Now, Gary could be on his way out the door. Brian Gutekunst toed the company line when asked about Gary at the end of the season.

“Yeah, I expect all these guys that are under contract to be back, but we’re just getting started at kind of looking at how we’re building out the team for next year.,” Gutekunst said.

Some honesty followed.

“I thought he started out really, really strong. He, obviously, had a lot of production early. I think he ended up with 60-some pressures, 7.5 sacks. That’s pretty good production in the National Football League. I did think towards the end of the year, he wasn’t as productive as he was at the beginning. So certainly, that will be something I’m sure he looks at personally and we look at as a team, how we can continue to make sure that his production is the same at the beginning and the end of the season.”

Green Bay Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness celebrates after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Gary finished the season on a sour note, Lukas Van Ness had a strong finish to the season, including a strip-sack of Caleb Williams in their wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears.

Van Ness played well when he was healthy, but played in only one game over a span of more than two months due to a foot injury.

If Gary is gone, Kingsley Enagbare could be right behind him. If so, Van Ness would have an opportunity to increase his snap count and begin living up to his lofty draft status.

The Packers need that. Parsons cannot be the sole provider of the pass rush, which he was far too often a season ago.

Nobody is a bigger believer in Van Ness than Parsons. Van Ness ascending into the player the Packers hoped he would be when they drafted him would give them a dynamic duo to get after opposing quarterbacks at the end of games. A set-up man to Parsons’ role of closer, if you will.

Defensive Tackle: Devonte Wyatt Stays Healthy

Losing Micah Parsons was not the only devastating blow to the defense. The Packers’ defensive tackle position was already thin when the season began thanks to the free-agent defection of TJ Slaton and trading of Kenny Clark for Parsons.

Devonte Wyatt was the one true impact player on the roster at the position and was putting together a strong stretch that included a two-sack performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 23.

Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) tackles Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Unfortunately for the Packers, four days later during the victory at Detroit, Wyatt’s season would end, and the Packers’ interior pass rush went with him. The only sack from the defensive tackles after Wyatt’s injury came from Warren Brinson, and that was wiped away because he pulled Caleb Williams down by his facemask.

Undoubtedly, the Packers need to add to this position. They did not get enough impact plays from their interior defensive line, but the most important addition to this group would be a clean bill of health for its most impactful player.

Linebacker: Edgerrin Cooper Ascends to Stardom

Quay Walker’s future is uncertain, and that is due to a rocky finish to the season. Whether Walker is back or not, the Packers need someone to emerge as an impact player on the second level of their defense.

Edgerrin Cooper looked like he was destined for stardom following his rookie season that had him in conversations for Defensive Rookie of the Year if he had simply accumulated more snaps.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) celebrates a tackle against Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cooper was good last season, but the splash plays were not there. Cooper’s rookie season saw him rack up 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses – most among all off-the-ball linebackers – one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception. In 2025, Cooper had a half-sack in Week 2, four tackles for losses, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and zero interceptions.

Some of that could have been due to play style, as then-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley may not have used Cooper in the same ways following the Parsons trade Regardless, the Packers will need more splash plays from the third-year linebacker, whether his running-mate returns alongside him or not.

Secondary: Find the Ball, Catch the Ball

Cornerback and safety are getting lumped together because general manager Brian Gutekunst said in his postseason media availability that he did not believe the cornerback room needed “wholesale changes.”

“Those guys can get hurt,” Gutekunst said. “They’re the smaller guys on the field. We ask a lot of those guys in run support. The depth there, for me, is important that we have answers.”

Whether Gutekunst believes that or not will be revealed by his actions rather than his words. No matter who is in the secondary, there has to be one clear objective.

Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) deflects a pass intended for Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Take the ball away.

The Packers emphasized turnovers a season ago, but they were few and far between for a cornerback room that was devoid of ball skills.

Packers cornerbacks had just one interception in the regular season, Keisean Nixon’s game-winner against the Chicago Bears, and Carrington Valentine added one in the playoffs. They had plenty of opportunities with 10 dropped interceptions, according to Sports Info Solutions.

In the safety room, Xavier McKinney’s ball production was not the same as it was in his first season in Green Bay as he went from eight interceptions to two (with four drops). He was still very good, but big plays are what separate good from great. Evan Williams led the team with three interceptions but none over the final six games.

The Packers finished with seven interceptions. Only four teams had the fewer; Chicago had 23. That’s not going to cut it in 2026. The Packers have to take away the football with greater frequency, and that should be the top mission for the secondary. 

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