One Week Until Week 1; One Pivotal Question at Every Packers Position on Defense

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will kick off the 2026 NFL season next Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings.

For the start of the season, the pressure will be on new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to build game plans and call plays capable of winning games without Micah Parsons.

Fortunately for the Packers, their first four opponents featured four of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. That’s probably irrelevant, though, because the Packers’ defense is surrounded by its own set of questions.

Here is a look at the key question for every position group on defense. Like we did with our story on the offense, we’ll leave the biggest questions for the end.

Defensive Tackle: Are They That Good?

One of the best stories of Packers training camp was the strength of the interior defensive line. Along with Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave, the rise of Karl Brooks, the surprising play of Jonathan Ford, the improvement of Warren Brinson, the promise of Chris McClellan and the shocking play of Anthony Campbell led general manager Brian Gutekunst to keep seven players at a position group that will only play two or three on any single snap.

“I think from a snap perspective, we’re going to have more guys active on the 48-man roster for gameday, and those guys will have more snaps,” Gutekunst explained. “I thought it was important and, quite frankly, it was just a deep group for us, and you want to try to keep as many of those guys as you can.”

The question is whether their strong play throughout training camp and the preseason was fool’s gold or a sign of things to come. A strong unit would be huge for Gannon, who likes to get his defensive tackles on and off the field to keep them fresh.

Linebacker: How Great Can They Be?

Last year, 64 linebackers played at least 500 snaps. The worst in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, was Zaire Franklin.

To be sure, PFF’s player grades should be taken with a grain of salt. Or, based on Franklin’s performance during training camp, a 40-pound bag of water-softener salt.

In one of the best signs of training camp, not a single day went by when either Franklin or fellow starting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper weren’t among the best few players on the field. Franklin, who was acquired from the Colts to replace Quay Walker, wrecked one running play after another. He is likely going to be a defensive captain because of his performance and leadership. Cooper was tremendous, with Gannon unleashing him in every way and from every angle imaginable.

“I don’t really think it’s about my standard,” Franklin said. “I think I bring what I bring, but it’s really about just the standard that we all commit to. I think the play style that we all committed to is about playing violent, playing aggressive and taking the ball away, and I think we’ve done a great job of that so far in camp.

“Obviously, it’s a lot more room to improve, but I think you’ve got to play defense with an edge. Defense is about … it’s called a ‘takeaway.’ You’ve got to take something from somebody. You know what I’m saying? So, that’s just the energy, that’s just the mentality and I think we’ve got the guys to do that.”

Combined, Cooper and Franklin have a chance to be one of the best linebacker tandems in the NFL. If that happens, the sky is the limit for the defense … and the team.

With one week until Week 1, here is a look at the big question for every Packers position on offense and special teams. (Will post the defense later.) ⬇️https://t.co/UwASuQNcOg
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 6, 2026

Safety: Can Javon Bullard Take Next Step?

The Packers have perhaps the best safeties in the NFL with two-time All-Pro Xavier McKinney, rising Evan Williams and nickel Javon Bullard.

Bullard was having a terrific training camp until missing time with an injured foot. He is fast and physical and took a big step forward in Year 2. He went from 8.5 yards allowed per target and three touchdowns in 2024 to 6.2 yards allowed per target and one touchdown in 2025, according to Stathead.

Now, can he take the next step? In 32 career games and 1,510 defensive snaps, Bullard has zero interceptions and zero forced fumbles. It’s not as if he’s been close to intercepting passes with only four breakups. Based on his performance at camp, the game-changing plays are coming.

Edge: Are They Doomed?

How on earth are the Packers going to win games without Micah Parsons on the field to provide the pass rush?

About one year ago, general manager Brian Gutekunst looked at Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare and decided he needed to make a blockbuster trade for Parsons. Now, the Packers won’t have Parsons (or Collin Oliver) for the first several games of the season. They traded Gary and lost Enagbare in free agency. They do have Van Ness, though his 8.5 career sacks don’t exactly scream season-changing X-factor.

When asked this week if he had enough pass rush off the edge, general manager Brian Gutekunst said yes and then mentioned his practice-squad players, Arron Mosby and Nyjalik Kelly. It’s like going to the bank to apply for a mortgage and dismissing your checking account balance because you found a couple quarters between the couch cushions.

Any starting-caliber quarterback can dice up a defense when given time in the pocket. There could be an abundance of time unless Van Ness finally has a long-awaited breakout season, Brenton Cox takes advantage of the ample opportunities coming his way or Barryn Sorrell and/or Dani Dennis-Sutton emerge as weapons.

Cornerback: Can They Survive?

A strong pass rush can make a suspect secondary look better. Similarly, a strong secondary can make a so-so pass rush more effective.

To start the season, both areas look like a weakness.

If Gannon can’t find a consistent pass rush with either his players or his scheme, can veteran cornerback Keisean Nixon and rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse hold up on the outside?

Even with Parsons on the field for most of last season, the Packers’ cornerbacks combined to give up 14 touchdowns with just one interception, according to Pro Football Focus. Nixon gave up seven touchdowns and a 105.2 passer rating (and was guilty of 12 penalties), Valentine gave up five touchdowns and a 109.4 passer rating and Nate Hobbs, who’s no longer on the team, gave up two touchdowns and a 125.3 passer rating.

Stathead charged Valentine with seven touchdowns and a 121.2 passer rating and Nixon with six touchdowns and a 105.1 rating.

Nixon had an up-and-down training camp but appears to have retained the starting job in his on-again, off-again battle against Benjamin St-Juste. Cisse had a promising training camp and preseason but probably is going to have to endure some rookie moments.

The Packers are fortunate to not face great quarterbacks to start the season. However, they will face the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, the Jets’ Garrett Wilson, the Falcons’ Drake London and the Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka in Week 4. And then the challenges really start against better passers and dynamic-duo receivers.

Will the Packers’ cornerbacks be good enough to help the pass rush? The answer to that question could determine whether they survive the opening stretch without Parsons.

From the draft to free agency and contract extensions to trades, it's been a wild ride to get to the Packers' 53-man roster that will hop on a plane for Week 1 at the Vikings.

Here's our grade of all 2⃣6⃣ major transactions. ⬇️https://t.co/GxYps8v6r0
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 5, 2026

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