Packers’ Biggest Offseason Needs Are Even Bigger Than You Think

The Green Bay Packers have obvious needs at cornerback and defensive tackle. Those needs are even bigger than you think.

Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon wags his finger as a flag for defensive pass interference is thrown vs. the Bengals. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Everyone knows the Green Bay Packers’ biggest needs this offseason are defensive tackle and cornerback.

The Packers needed help at those positions 12 months ago and absolutely nothing has changed.

At defensive tackle, the Packers lost TJ Slaton in free agency and sent their best defensive tackle, Kenny Clark, to the Cowboys in the Micah Parsons trade. That put the pressure on Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, but injuries limited Wyatt to barely one-third of the defensive snaps.

By the end of the season, general manager Brian Gutekunst had a revolving door of big guys in hopes of finding a run-stopper for the playoffs.

At cornerback, the Packers let go of Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes and replaced them with Nate Hobbs and Micah Robinson. Hobbs was a part-time starter with meager ball production during four seasons with the Raiders and Robinson represented the third consecutive year in which Gutekunst’s only draft pick at the position came in the seventh round.

By the end of the season, Gutekunst threw a Hail Mary on Trevon Diggs, only to dump him shortly after he played one snap in the playoff loss.

So, the Packers’ needs at those positions are obvious as they reload to take another crack at scaling Mount Lombardi.

Packers’ Needs Not Limited to 2026

However, building a roster isn’t only about the upcoming season. As former special teams coordinator Ron Zook liked to say, it’s not a problem until it’s a problem and then it’s a big problem. Yes, Gutekunst must address needs with an eye on the 2026 season, but he’s also got to keep an eye on 2027, as well.

That’s why defensive tackle and cornerback are such enormous needs this offseason.

At defensive tackle, all the main characters from 2025 are under contract for 2026. However, the following offseason, Wyatt, Wooden and Brooks will be unrestricted free agents. They played 74.7 percent of the defensive tackle snaps this season.

Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Colby Wooden (96) stuffs Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While there’s a good chance Wyatt will sign a contract extension, which would not only make him part of the defensive foundation but take a bite out of his 2026 cap number of $12.938 million, Wooden and Brooks played 1,205 snaps this season. It’s a necessity to add to the position this offseason, not just to upgrade the talent for the upcoming season but to make sure the unit is strong for 2027.

It’s a similar conversation at cornerback. Keisean Nixon ranked among the NFL leaders in pass breakups but wasn’t the “CB1” he proclaimed himself to be and had only one interception. Carrington Valentine was generally strong in coverage but didn’t have any interceptions and lacks the required physicality. Hobbs was sidelined by knee injuries at the start, middle and end of the season. He stayed on the field just long enough to lose the starting job to Valentine and finished with zero interceptions.

While all three players are under contract for 2026 – though it’s possible Hobbs won’t be back – there’s absolutely no reason to believe that the cornerback group that wasn’t good enough in 2025 will suddenly become good enough in 2026.

Moreover, Nixon and Valentine will be free agents after the 2026 season. Nixon, Valentine and Hobbs are the only cornerbacks on the roster with any significant experience. The top backups this season were Kamal Hadden, who played 37 snaps this season before a season-ending injury, and Bo Melton, who played 96 snaps on offense but zero on defense.

CB, DT Depth Charts for 2025, 2026, 2027

To lay it out in a different format, here’s a look at the depth charts at cornerback and defensive tackle for this past season, next season and the following season. Note: Players who will be exclusive-rights free agents are assumed to be back. Restricted and unrestricted free agents are noted.

Cornerback

2025: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Nate Hobbs, Kamal Hadden, Bo Melton, Trevon Diggs, Jaylin Simpson, Shemar Bartholomew.

2026: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Nate Hobbs, Kamal Hadden, Bo Melton, Jaylin Simpson, Shemar Bartholomew. (Trevon Diggs was released.)

2027: Nate Hobbs, Jaylin Simpson. (Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine will be unrestricted free agents. Kamal Hadden, Bo Melton and Shemar Bartholomew would be restricted free agents.)

Defensive Tackle

2025: Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jordon Riley, Jonathan Ford.

2026: Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jordon Riley. (Jonathan Ford will be a restricted free agent).

2027: Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse. (Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks will be unrestricted free agents. Jordon Riley will be a restricted free agent.)

The Obvious Challenge

There’s one large impediment to Gutekunst addressing those short- and long-term needs. The Packers don’t have a first-round draft pick to grab a premier draft prospect, and they don’t have a lot of money to be especially active in free agency.

Plus, there are other needs to address, namely on the offensive line, where Rasheed Walker and Sean Rhyan will be free agents and Elgton Jenkins could be a cap-saving roster cut.

Green Bay has one draft pick in each of the second through sixth rounds. It will have at least one pick in the seventh round and perhaps as many as three. That’s not a lot of draft capital to address those critical needs and perhaps add a quarterback or running back to the mix.

However, as much as possible, expect Gutekunst to take a volume approach at cornerback and defensive tackle, with one veteran and perhaps two draft picks at both position groups.

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