MVP LVN: Lukas Van Ness Headlines Packers Offseason Award-Winners

Micah Parsons probably was the Green Bay Packers’ MVP last season. With Parsons set to miss the start of the upcoming season, Lukas Van Ness will be expected to help fill the void.

For what it’s worth, Van Ness was our MVP of the offseason.

“I’m feeling good,” he said after a dominant day at minicamp. “I’m feeling healthy, I’m getting back to normal again and I feel good with where I’m at.”

Here’s a look at our offseason award-winners.

MVP: Lukas Van Ness

There could be no bigger development than the rise of Lukas Van Ness. The 2023 first-round pick has shown flashes here and there, whether it was on the practice field or in games, but he’s never put it together for a sustained stretch.

Maybe it would have been last year, but he suffered an injured foot while sacking Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco. He missed eight of the next nine games and finished the season with only 1.5 sacks.

Van Ness was excellent throughout the offseason. What’s perhaps crucial to note is Van Ness is a power-first player. That skill-set really isn’t an asset during the noncontact practices of the spring. Instead, Van Ness won in other ways. That should translate to training camp and beyond.

“I think for him his get-off is what I’m noticing right now, his speed around the edge, so I’m excited about it,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “They’ll probably move those guys around a little bit, put him on the inside, things like that. Excited to see what he can do.”

Offensive Player of the Offseason: Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love gets ready to fire a pass at minicamp. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jordan Love had another excellent offseason. In Year 4 as a starter, he’s in complete command of everything and seems at ease on and off the field.

“Really trying to focus on my feet, my pocket movements,” Love said during minicamp. “Obviously, I think all those things are tied to accuracy and just the timing of routes and things like that, so just trying to be as dialed in as possible. That’s the biggest thing I’ve been trying to work on so far.”

Love needs to get better at doing the little things. He also needs to get better at beating pressure, where he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. But any team with a top-10 quarterback has a chance to do great things. Love is that type of player, making the Packers that type of team.

Defensive Player of the Offseason: Edgerrin Cooper

In the NFL, the quarterback usually wins MVP and another player wins Offensive Player of the Year. So, with Van Ness the MVP, we’ll give linebacker Edgerrin Cooper the Defensive Player of the Offseason.

Cooper’s speed and instincts have been obvious since his rookie season. He seems right at home in Jonathan Gannon’s defense, and Gannon seems ready to turn him loose more than Jeff Hafley did last season. He was dominant throughout the spring.

“I don’t want to be slept on no more or any of that,” he said. “That’s all I look for. But I just want to do what I do. Just focus on that and all that stuff’s going to come.”

Happy Saturday, everybody.

ICYMI, here are the 7⃣ big things I learned from the Packers' offseason practices. ⬇️https://t.co/HC7QLFWLNc
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 13, 2026

Best Draft Pick: Chris McClellan

The third-round pick closed the offseason as the No. 1 nose tackle. Whether it’s playing the nose in the base defense or defensive tackle in the nickel package, it’s a good bet he will finish his debut season as the team’s rookie leader in starts.

Best Undrafted Player: Dillon Wade

After winding up with only six draft picks, the Packers spent big on this year’s undrafted class. Offensive lineman Dillon Wade was one of four who will collect more than $200,000 guaranteed in base salary and signing bonus.

Injuries to Jacob Monk, who missed all of the offseason practices, Donovan Jennings, who missed OTAs, and Aaron Banks, who missed minicamp, were factors, obviously, but Wade spent the entire offseason as the No. 2 left guard. All of the other undrafted players were further down their depth charts.

Dillon showed a lot of position flexibility while at Auburn but was anchored at left guard during the spring. It will be interesting to see if the Packers move him around more once training camp begins.

Comeback Player: MarShawn Lloyd

MarShawn Lloyd’s career total of games matches his number of great nicknames. A healthy offseason is the best possible news for a backfield with significant question marks.

MarShawn Lloyd got a text from his girlfriend while at Packers minicamp last week.

“She was like, ‘Love you, Yeet Cannon.’” ⬇️https://t.co/jCRcy7FbEc
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 15, 2026

Breakout Player: Jordan Morgan

A good left tackle is worth his weight in gold. And then they are paid the equivalent of gold bars. According to Spotrac, 15 left tackles are making at least $20 million; 18 are making at least $15 million.

Finally, it’s Jordan Morgan’s time. After toiling at right tackle and guard for his first two seasons, the 2024 first-round pick has replaced Rasheed Walker as Jordan Love’s blindside protector. Obviously, he’ll have to prove it when it matters, but Morgan was excellent throughout the offseason. Edge rushers weren’t running around him to “sack” Love and Morgan wasn’t reaching and holding to keep his quarterback safe.

“JMo’s a left tackle through and through,” left guard Aaron Banks said. “That’s his spot. He’s the most comfortable there. He looks the most natural there.”

Most Improved Player: Johnathan Baldwin

One of Green Bay’s undrafted rookies last year was Johnathan Baldwin, who played safety and slot at UNLV.

When he got his first opportunity against Minnesota in Week 18 last season, most of his snaps came at safety. Through these offseason practices, Baldwin was locked into the slot position. Just about every day at practice, the coaches would yell praise at “John-o.”

There’s a wide-open competition to replace Zayne Anderson as the fifth safety between Baldwin, young journeyman Mark Perry and undrafted free agent Murvin Kenion. Special teams will be huge, obviously, but so will the versatility that Baldwin has shown.

Following minicamp, here's our projected 53-man Packers roster. ⬇️https://t.co/1Oip7Y29ca
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 15, 2026

Steadiest Player: Matthew Golden

The most recognizable three-digit number in Green Bay is the 920 area code. Next is 4.29 – Matthew Golden’s 40-time before last year’s draft.

Golden is fast, let there be no doubt about it. But Golden’s best skill isn’t his speed. For a golfer, there’s a phrase that says you drive for show and putt for dough. Golden is the football equivalent. Yes, he’s got the speed to get deep but his ability to get open and catch the ball again and again is like consistently making 8-foot putts.

It seemed like every pass thrown to Golden during the offseason was caught for a gain of somewhere between 8 and 12 yards. The big plays will come but Golden is going to be “dangerous for this offense” because he’s just so steady.

“To be honest, I don’t feel like they’ve seen anything yet,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in myself and I know what I have done. To me, it wasn’t anything yet. I know it’s a lot more out there.

“I’m excited for it. I know I’m going to prove myself right. I know I got guys around me that’s going to uplift me. I feel like we have a great brotherhood here. Everybody in this locker room, we uplift each other and we always have the most confidence in each other. As long as we keep doing that, it’s going to be good.”

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