Projecting Packers’ Depth Chart Before First Practice of Training Camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. – At long last, Green Bay Packers training camp is almost here. The first practice of camp will be held on Wednesday. After a few ramp-up days, the real chase for roster spots will begin next week.

While the Packers haven’t released a depth chart, a look at how the team lined up during OTAs and minicamp should provide a depth chart that’s reasonably close to the one hanging in coach Matt LaFleur’s office.

This is not a projection of how the 53-man roster will shake out or how the team will line up at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. It’s a depth chart for the start of training camp, plain and simple. Because we don’t know the severity of the injuries that landed players on the physically unable to perform list, all players are assumed healthy (other than Micah Parsons, who we know will not be ready for Week 1).

Quarterbacks

Starter: Jordan Love.

Backups: Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord, Kyron Drones.

Analysis: An old-school college football two-deep depth chart would be impossibly easy. Love will start, Taylor will be the backup. The end.

McCord vs. Drones will determine the spot on the practice squad, unless they’re both bad and a better option becomes available. That will be an interesting battle to watch stylistically, with McCord the (relatively) polished passer and Drones the run-pass threat.

Running Backs

Starter: Josh Jacobs.

Backups: Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon.

Analysis: Brooks was placed on the non-football injury list on Monday. Once he’s healthy, this will be the biggest opportunity of his career. After three seasons in which he was used mostly to pass protect on offense and play special teams, the power runner has a chance to earn a significant role as the No. 2 back.

The competition will be against Lloyd, who was healthy throughout the offseason practices and will hit the ground running on Wednesday.

Green Bay Packers Kyle McCord (18) hands off the ball to Chris Brooks at minicamp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Receivers

Starters: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden.

Backups: Bo Melton, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, J. Michael Sturdivant, Brenden Rice.

Analysis: There’s no mystery about the starting three. It’s nothing but mystery behind them. Melton caught four passes while focusing on cornerback, Williams caught 10 (mostly) backward passes, Moore returned kicks in San Francisco and the others weren’t on an NFL roster. Especially with Sheppard, Neyor and Sturdivant, it will be interesting to see if any break out of the pack to push for a roster spot.

Tight Ends

Starter: Tucker Kraft.

Backups: Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney, Messiah Swinson, R.J. Maryland, Luke Lachey.

Analysis: Kraft, as expected, will start training camp on PUP. He’ll be joined by Musgrave. That means the door is wide open for Whyle to stake his claim to being the No. 2 tight end, which was going to be a competition with Musgrave, anyway, based on their offseason production.

Without Kraft and Musgrave, that leaves the unproven quartet of Dabney and Swinson, both of whom sat out the offseason work, Maryland, an undrafted rookie, and Lachey, who signed at the conclusion of the offseason program. What an opportunity for one to steal a roster spot.

Green Bay Packers tight end Josh Whyle (81) runs after the catch against the Bears. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Offensive Line

Starters: LT Jordan Morgan, LG Aaron Banks, C Sean Rhyan, RG Anthony Belton, RT Zach Tom.

Backups who can play left tackle: Brant Banks, Dalton Cooper.

Backups who can play tackle: T/G Darian Kinnard, T/G Travis Glover, G/T Karsen Barnhart.

Backups who play on the interior: G/C Jager Burton, C/G Jacob Monk, G/C Donovan Jennings, G/C John Williams, G Dillon Wade, G Josh Gesky, G/C Dylan Barrett.

Analysis: When everyone is healthy, the No. 1 line is set in stone. The No. 2 line probably would be Brant Banks at left tackle (though Cooper took the No. 2 reps to end minicamp), Jennings at left guard, Monk at center, Burton at right guard and Kinnard at right tackle.

With Aaron Banks on PUP to start training camp, Burton – the team’s promising fifth-round pick – might be running with the starters at left guard for the first practice.

Edge Defenders

Starters: Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell.

Backups: Brenton Cox, Dani Dennis Sutton, Collin Oliver, Arron Mosby, Nyjalik Kelly, Dante Barnett (international).

Green Bay Packers edge defender Collin Oliver (45) talks with his bike kid while going to training camp last year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

PUP: Micah Parsons.

Analysis: The Packers probably will start camp exactly the way they handled minicamp, with Van Ness and Sorrell running with the starters and Cox and Dennis-Sutton forming the No. 2 tandem.

It’s a huge development for Oliver, last year’s fifth-round pick, to not be on PUP to start training camp. Oliver didn’t have a full-squad practice last year until late in the season before making his NFL debut in Week 18. This offseason, he once again was sidelined for OTAs and minicamp.

Defensive Tackles

Starters: Devonte Wyatt, Chris McClellan, Javon Hargrave.

Backups: Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jonathan Ford, Jordon Riley, Jaden Crumedy, Anthony Campbell.

Analysis: Hargrave is on PUP, so Brooks probably will be elevated into the No. 1 unit to start camp. The big development on Monday was that Riley was not placed on PUP following last year’s torn Achilles. He will add a big element – pardon the pun for the 338-pounder – to the D-line competition.

Linebackers

Starters: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin.

Backups: Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch, T.J. Quinn.

Analysis: This is a powerful group with clearly defined tiers. There’s no doubt that Cooper and Franklin will get the first reps on Wednesday and McDuffie and Hopper will form the second pairing.

At the end of minicamp, with Franklin getting some time off and McDuffie on the sideline, it was Niemann – not Hopper – who got the No. 1 reps alongside Cooper. That suggests there might be clear-cut backups with Hopper behind Cooper and McDuffie behind Franklin.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) celebrates a second-half interception against the Vikings. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cornerbacks

Starters: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine.

Backups: Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, Kamal Hadden, Jaylin Simpson, Shemar Bartholomew, M.J. Devonshire, Domani Jackson, Marlon Jones.

Analysis: St-Juste and Jackson are healthy after they sat out the offseason program. With St-Juste, who was signed in free agency, on the field, Green Bay should have a three-man competition between Valentine, St-Juste and second-round pick Cisse for the starting spot opposite Nixon.

Jackson, the sixth-round pick, will start toward the back of the pack as he tries to catch up to everyone else. Hadden is on PUP following last year’s horrible ankle injury.

Safeties

Starters: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard (slot).

Backups: Kitan Oladapo, Mark Perry, Johnathan Baldwin, Murvin Kenion III.

Analysis: McKinney, Williams and Bullard, all of whom were added to the roster in 2024, form the heart of the secondary. They’ll reprise last year’s roles with McKinney and Williams forming one of the NFL’s top safety tandems and Bullard growing into a solid force in the slot.

During the offseason, Oladapo and Perry were the No. 2 safeties and Baldwin took all the second- and third-team snaps in the slot.

Specialists

Starters: K Trey Smack, P Daniel Whelan, LS Matt Orzech.

Backups: K Lucas Havrisik.

Analysis: Smack is the favorite to win the kicking job, but there should be plenty of reps to go around with Havrisik. Here’s what will be interesting to see. New special teams coordinator Cam Achord could give Smack the reps on Wednesday, Havrisik the reps on Thursday and Smack again on Friday.

Saturday is a mandatory day off. If Achord takes that every-other-day approach, who will kick on Sunday? If it’s Havrisik, that could signal a true competition. If it’s Smack, that could signal it’s clearly the rookie’s job to lose.

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