From ‘Pajamas’ to Pads, Six Overreactions From Start of Packers Training Camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Finally, the real start of Green Bay Packers training camp is here.

After three weeks of offseason practices and four practices at training camp, the pads will be on and the competition will get much more meaningful on Monday.

“I think I heard Dan Campbell talk about these guys in pajamas,” coach Matt LaFleur said during the offseason, “so until you get the pads, you never truly know.”

Endless words have been written about this player rising or this position group being a question over the last couple months. They’ve all been true – but only in the moment. Now, we’ll find out what’s real and where we’ve been guilty of overreacting.

Overreaction 1: Offensive Line Will Be Better

The Packers weren’t good enough on the offensive line last season. Not even close to good enough.

Jordan Love was pressured too often and the running game went from one of the best in the league to one of the worst in terms of yards per carry.

They should be better this year. Will Jordan Morgan be an upgrade at left tackle over Rasheed Walker? The early returns have been promising. The interior should be better with Sean Rhyan entering his first full season at center and Anthony Belton entering his first full season as a starter and as a right guard. Health will tell the tale for left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele.

The early returns have been encouraging but, especially up front, everyone knows what happens in May, June and July can be fool’s gold in August, September and beyond.

“Especially up front, without pads on, the game’s not quite the same,” Banks said.

The padded practices will provide a necessary reality check to see what’s real and what’s cause for concern.

Have we been overreacting?: No. The line (if healthy) will be strong. The improvement alone of Rhyan and Belton will take care of that.

Packers training camp begins today.

Here's @JacobWestendorf with five things to watch now that the pads are finally going on.https://t.co/fskFCx6QSi
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 3, 2026

Overreaction 2: Packers Have No Depth at TE, RB

This offseason, the Packers at running back let Emanuel Wilson go in free agency and added only one undrafted rookie to the depth chart. Wilson was a solid and reliable performer, and his departure created a big void on offense considering he had 254 touches the last two seasons.

From there, the Packers pivoted by … basically doing nothing. They signed an undersized undrafted rookie, Jaden Nixon, but essentially went all-in on Chris Brooks, who’s never been a staple ball-carrier in three NFL seasons, and MarShawn Lloyd, who’s never been healthy in two NFL seasons.

Here’s the thing about depth, though: Proven players don’t become proven until they get opportunities to prove themselves. A valuable role player the last two seasons, Brooks hasn’t practiced due to injury, but maybe someone from the group of Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez and Nixon will thrive when the pads are on. Martinez, with his size and production in college, should be a player to watch.

Critically, Lloyd has been the picture of health dating to the start of OTAs. There is real optimism about what he can do.

“Obviously, we know MarShawn’s gone through his fair share of things,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “To have him healthy, to have him out there is great, and, obviously, once we get into preseason, going into the season, that’s a guy we need to have out there, because I know he’s going to be a special playmaker as somebody who can make those big explosive plays in the run game and the pass game.”

At tight end, Tucker Kraft is being brought back slowly from last year’s torn ACL and Luke Musgrave is out indefinitely with a neck injury. That leaves a precarious depth chart – but it doesn’t necessarily mean the Packers don’t have depth.

The shorts-and-helmets practices of the spring and the start of training camp were never meant for players like Luke Lachey or Messiah Swinson. The padded practices and preseason games will be their time to show that they can provide legitimate depth.

So, do the Packers have depth problems at tight end and running back? Right now, the answer is an obvious yes. The next three weeks could change that train of thought.

Have we been overreacting?: No and yes. At least the running back group will be strong with a healthy Lloyd.

Overreaction 3: Lukas Van Ness Is Ready for Breakout Season

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (90) runs through a drill during a special teams period. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Lukas Van Ness dominated the offseason practices and is off to a strong start to training camp. Finally, it appears the former first-round pick is ready to become the player the Packers projected when they drafted him 13th overall in 2023.

But is any of that real?

That might be the season-defining question. Without Micah Parsons, the Packers desperately need someone to step up and lead the pass rush. Van Ness, who should be going into the prime of his career in Year 4, needs to be that player.

He’s looked like a Pro Bowler at times at the start of training camp, with frequent victories over left tackle Jordan Morgan and, especially, fill-in right tackle Darian Kinnard.

We’ve seen that before, though, only for Van Ness to fall flat when it counts. He has 8.5 sacks in three seasons. If he doesn’t record more than 8.5 sacks this season, the Packers might be doomed. It’s time for Van Ness to be the player he’s flashed at times. If not, general manager Brian Gutekunst needs to consider making a trade.

Have we been overreacting?: We’ll see, but injuries have slowed his development. He obviously will not be Micah Parsons but he could be peak Rashan Gary.

Overreaction 4: Deep at Defensive Tackle

Defensive tackle has been a fascinating position. With Devonte Wyatt limited to individual drills following last year’s season-ending injury, Javon Hargrave opening camp on the PUP list and Jordon Riley coming back from a torn Achilles, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and position coach Vince Oghobaase have been rotating everyone through the lineup.

Really, just about every player on the depth chart has taken first-team reps. That includes Anthony Campbell, who had one tackle in eight games as a sixth-year senior at Miami but has worked with the No. 1 unit and made an impact.

Obviously, and just like with the offensive line, almost nothing matters until the pads go on. Do the Packers really have so much depth that players like Campbell, an undrafted free agent in 2025, or Jonathan Ford and Nazir Stackhouse, who were thought to be battling for one spot, have been worthy of starting reps?

Or are Gannon and Oghobaase desperate to find anyone who can play meaningful snaps to give Wyatt and Hargrave a break?

They probably have a pretty good idea of that answer. The rest of us will start finding out now.

Have we been overreacting?: No, I do think the defensive tackle group will beat expectations.

Overreaction 5: The Packers Have No Pass Rush

Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. walks to training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Combining No. 3 and No. 4, you get to the giant elephant in Jonathan Gannon’s defensive room. Until Micah Parsons returns, will the Packers have a winning pass rush or will they get destroyed by the opening quarterbacks?

Lukas Van Ness has barely as many pressures in three seasons as Rashan Gary had last season.

Barryn Sorrell had 1.5 sacks as a rookie. Collin Oliver managed to play in only one game as a rookie. Brenton Cox has a promising end to the 2024 season but missed most of the 2025 season. The only big addition was Dani Dennis-Sutton, a fourth-round pick.

The early returns during camp haven’t been especially encouraging when it is starters vs. starters. Van Ness has been impactful but none of the other edge players have gotten through with any regularity, though Oliver had a good Sunday. The interior defensive linemen, for the most part, have been nonfactors in the passing game.

It’s a huge problem that could tank the season.

Now that the pads are on, we’ll find out if it’s a problem or if we’re missing out on the potential. Pass rushers are practically handcuffed during OTAs.

Speaking about Dennis-Sutton, coach Matt LaFleur said: “I’m just most excited for all those guys to get the pads on to see how [they look]. That’s real football. We put a lot of limits on our rushers in terms of what is allowed. We don’t want any bull-rushing in this portion of camp when you don’t have pads on.”

Now, the pass rushers can use their full arsenal of weapons. And, at some point, Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave will be the interior rushers. Their returns will change things.

Have we been overreacting?: No. The guess is any concern about the pass rush is not an overreaction and the Packers are going to be in big trouble. We’ll see if that changes now that the pass rushers will be unleashed.

Overreaction 6: Rookies Will Help

There always are high hopes surrounding the rookie class, and this year’s group – even without a first-round pick – is no exception.

Second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse, not veteran Benjamin St-Juste, took the No. 1 reps on Sunday with Carrington Valentine out of action.

Third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan started taking No. 1 reps back in May and that’s continued through the first four practices.

Fourth-round edge player Dani Dennis-Sutton has a chance to win a starting job opposite Lukas Van Ness.

Fifth-round offensive lineman Jager Burton, who has been limited by a hamstring injury, might wind up being the No. 1 backup on the interior. (That possibility improved on Sunday, when one of the players in that competition, Donovan Jennings, air-mailed a pair of shotgun snaps.)

All four players have shown the potential to be significant contributors as a rookie. The Packers need that to be true.

Rookies, of course, are the ultimate wild card. There are questions about each that can only be answered when it’s “real” football.

Can Cisse win at the catch point, beat a blocker or get his man to the turf with consistency? Can McClellan beat Sean Rhyan with enough frequency to prove he can play early and often? Can Dennis-Sutton use his length and power to beat a real NFL offensive tackle? Can Burton handle the speed of a player like Devonte Wyatt or the savvy of a player like Javon Hargrave?

Have we been overreacting?: No. Those four players will have to prove it, obviously, but there is no reason whatsoever to believe those four players won’t be positive factors as rookies.

Kicker Trey Smack, on the other hand, is a whole other conversation. If his struggles continue on Family Night, a kicker must be signed before they return to practice next week.

What happened today at Practice 4⃣ of Packers training camp?

A lot.

Here's the winning unit, the Play and Player of the Day, Trey Smack's Day, the injury report and much, much more. ⬇️https://t.co/tfU9z0VzpS
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 2, 2026

Talk about a great day at Packers training camp.

The Play of the Day from Sunday brought back memories from 1981 and the Player of the Day is about the most under-the-radar player imaginable. ⬇️https://t.co/pWIOqOsXro
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 2, 2026

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