Top 10 Packers for Game at Buccaneers Include Newcomers, Homecoming

The Green Bay Packers are a brand-new team. OK, not really, but they will probably look considerably different when they line up Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This will be another tough road test in a first quarter of the season that has seen the Packers play on the road twice with mixed results.

Green Bay is 1-2, and the season is at risk of hitting a tailspin quickly. The month of October will see the Packers play five games against NFC foes, all of which are expected to compete for a spot in the postseason, including two divisional games against teams who will likely smell blood if the Packers continue to struggle.

Green Bay has not played well at Raymond James Stadium. They’re 3-8 there since the stadium opened in 2002. They’ll be faced with the usual weather hazards that can accompany a trip to Florida. The heat and humidity will be a factor.

Regardless of the weather, the Packers need a win, or the temperature at 1265 Lombardi Ave. will only get hotter.

Looking beyond the obvious for Jordan Love, here are the 10 most important players to making sure the Packers can cool things down before exiting Tampa Bay.

No. 10: C Sean Rhyan

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores blitzes the hell out of every quarterback he faces. The coach with the third-most pressures brought this season?

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles.

Bowles used to be the king of sending pressure before Flores showed up to Minnesota and redefined what blitzing a quarterback means.

Who is going to be responsible for pointing out pressures? Jordan Love is part of that, but so is Sean Rhyan. That’s something that was added to his plate a season ago when he shifted from guard to center after Elgton Jenkins was lost for the season.

The Bucs bring pressure at a 46.2 percent clip. The Packers have shown no ability to slow down opposing pressure packages, so you can bet someone like Bowles is licking his chops to get after Love and continue to put him through misery. It’s up to Rhyan, and everyone who lines up next to him, to stop it.

“There was one pressure where they got through and hit Jordan pretty hard; that’s something we have to fix and make sure that doesn’t happen,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “That was a good pressure by them. But, other than that, it was just guys not sustaining their blocks and things like that. We need to do a better job.”

No. 9: WR Skyy Moore

Who is going to step in for Jayden Reed? The backup to Reed all summer was Skyy Moore, and he’s been the next man up since Reed suffered a season-ending injury against the Jets with Savion Williams on injured reserve.

Moore’s expanded role on offense will not affect his presence in the return game, according to Matt LaFleur.

The Packers are going to need to find some secondary pass catchers somewhere. As good as Christian Watson and Matthew Golden have been to start the season, they cannot be relied on to carry an entire passing game. That’s a lot to ask for any duo of receivers.

Moore, with five catches to start the season, needs to be able to give them something in the middle of the field. He’s not going to be Reed, but if he can be a lighter version of him, that certainly would help.

“I’m ready, for sure,” Moore said. “I feel like this is what I prepared for. Just going out there and continue to do what I’ve been doing on special teams and add onto the offensive side of the ball.”

No. 8: LB Edgerrin Cooper

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) celebrates a defensive play against the New York Jets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Green Bay’s worst game of the year defensively came in a game that Edgerrin Cooper did not play well and exited early due to a concussion.

Cooper cleared the concussion protocol on Saturday and will be ready to roll on Sunday. With the unknown that rookie Jalon Daniels brings to the quarterback position, Cooper is likely the one who will be tasked with chasing down the rabbit-quick and oil-slick quarterback out of Kansas.

Look for Gannon to try and deploy Cooper in a variety of ways to keep Daniels in the pocket as best he can.

No. 7: CB Brandon Cisse

Who is going to catch passes for Tampa Bay? Mike Evans is in San Francisco. Jalen McMillan is hurt. Chris Godwin has not looked like himself with injuries piling up in his career.

That leaves star second-year receiver Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka was taken in the same class as Matthew Golden and was a star last year for the Bucs, falling just short of 1,000 yards as a rookie.

Cisse has had his ups and downs through three weeks of his rookie season, but will likely draw the assignment of Egbuka at some point, including key moments.

Usually, a backup quarterback is going to rely on his team’s best players. Daniels probably doesn’t have a lot of reps with Egbuka, but they’re likely going to draw some things up to get the ball in his hands and let him make plays after the catch.

If Cisse ends up with the primary assignment on Egbuka, he needs to limit him as much as possible. Making a rookie quarterback pat the ball is a win for the defense, and can lead to rookie mistakes.

No. 6: DT Devonte Wyatt

When the Packers gave Devonte Wyatt a contract extension this offseason, the hope was that his best football was still in front of him now that he was fully removed from offseason surgery following last year’s season-ending ankle injury.

Through three weeks, that has not been the case. Wyatt has been largely invisible. He has two pressures, according to PFF, and it feels like there has been less than that.

Wyatt is supposed to be Green Bay’s best defensive lineman. With Warren Brinson sent to injured reserve and Anthony Campbell out again, a position that once had a lot of depth got really thin in a hurry.

“I think he’s in a good spot,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said about Wyatt on Tuesday. “He’s playing a lot of plays. I think he’s still catching his groove but he’s doing some good things, and I think he’ll keep impacting the game.”

They need him to catch his groove and start impacting the game as soon as Sunday.

No. 5: LG Laken Tomlinson

The Packers signed three offensive linemen this week to fix their chronic problems at guard. With Aaron Banks out again, it feels like a good bet that one of those new guys, Laken Tomlinson, will start.

Tomlinson wasn’t with a team during training camp, but at least he opened the season on the Cowboys’ practice squad, so he’s likely in the best version of game shape of the newcomers.

Tomlinson gives the Packers some experience after Jager Burton gave up a whopping 10 pressures against the Falcons, according to PFF. Tomlinson may not be the player he once was, but he provides some experience and stability at a position group where the Packers desperately need some help.

“I feel like I can come in and provide some stability, some toughness, some leadership, as well,” Tomlinson said. “Obviously going into Year 12, I’ve played a lot of ball. I feel like I still got a lot left in the tank. I feel like I can bring a lot to the team.”

Tomlinson is right. He has played a lot of ball. If you remove Banks, both players who made starts at left guard for the Packers this season had a combined zero starts going into Week 1 and Week 3.

Tomlinson is a veteran. He’s seen just about everything.

“I think the reps definitely speeds up the process,” Tomlinson said. “The reps and the familiarity with the scheme. I feel like the process now is just being around the guys, working with the guys. That’s going to go a long way.”

No. 4: TE Tucker Kraft

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) catches a pass against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Outside of his rookie season in 2023, Tucker Kraft may have just suffered his worst week with the Packers. Kraft struggled in the game on Thursday and has yet to hit his stride this season. He followed that up with some out-of-touch comments about the team being booed during the game.

What’s a good way to rebound? Be the productive player that Kraft has been since he hit his stride in the second half of 2023.

With Jayden Reed sidelined for the rest of the season, the Packers need someone in the passing game to join the party that has mostly consisted of just Matthew Golden and Christian Watson.

“He’s definitely one of our best players,” Adam Stenavich said. “Anytime you’re really good players don’t play well, it’s going to be hard to be good as an offense, you know what I mean? So, I think he’s obviously as critical as anyone about how he played and I don’t expect that to happen again.”

The reality is the Packers cannot afford for Kraft to have too many more games like the one he had against Atlanta. Kraft is the heartbeat of Green Bay’s offense. He gives them a personality. He also can be a safety valve in the event the offensive line continues to perform poorly.

Kraft was just rewarded with a lucrative contract extension in the offseason. This week is a good week for him to start living up to it.

No. 3: RB MarShawn Lloyd

To say the Packers’ run game has been bad is being kind. The Packers are ranked last in the NFL with 48.7 rushing yards per game. The Denver Broncos are 31st with 81.0 rushing yards per game – a 32.3-yard difference.

The run game has been historically bad to start the season, and Jordan Love is paying the price as a result. The Packers have to get more out of their run game. Who is their top option at running back? That’s just about anyone’s guess, but MarShawn Lloyd is the most talented of the three. Maybe he could do more with more touches.

“He hasn’t really gotten a chance to get going in my opinion,” Adam Stenavich said. “None of the running backs have. So, I’ll hold off on that question once we get him a few more carries.”

The bad news? Tampa Bay’s run defense is very good. Defensive tackle Vita Vea is an anchor of a unit that ranks second behind Atlanta with 76.0 rushing yards allowed per game and 3.12 yards allowed per carry.

Will the Packers remain committed to their run game this week if they have some poor results early? Time will tell, but they have to find something.

No. 2: WR Christian Watson

This weekend’s trip to Tampa Bay is a homecoming for Christian Watson, who anticipates he’ll have about 15 people in the stands for him.

He wants to put on a show.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I know it’s going to be 15 to 20 people that I personally, obviously, am getting to the game,” Watson said. “But I’m just scrolling through Instagram or Snapchat and see people at the Buccaneers games all the time. So, I’m sure it’ll be even more than that, people that I know or went to school with, that’ll be there. So, it’ll be a good time.”

So far this season, Watson is having a great time. With all the attention going toward players who have not lived up to contract extensions due to injury or poor performance, Watson has thrived since signing his contract extension this offseason.

He’s not just on pace to blow past a career high in catches, yards and touchdowns. He’s on a historic pace through the start of the season. Who knows what his numbers early in the season could look like if Jordan Love simply had more time to find him down the field.

Perhaps with the reinforcements on the offensive line, there will be more time for Watson to make a couple of big plays.

No. 1: RG Kevin Zeitler

Remember back in 2009 when Mark Tauscher was brought off the couch to be the savior of the Packers’ offensive line?

No pressure, Kevin Zeitler, but the Packers are looking for a bit of an encore in 2026.

Zeitler was the third of three veteran offensive linemen the Packers have added since Thursday’s disaster against the Falcons.

He’s also the most accomplished of the three players.

Is he going to start? He’d be ready if he was asked to do so.

“I think, kind of like I said earlier this week, being with so many teams,” Zeitler said Friday. “I’ve kind of experienced a lot of this in my own way, so I’ve been able to associate it with things that I’ve done in the past. So, I think if they need me out there right away, I think I’ll find a way and get it done.”

Zeitler has played just under 14,000 snaps in his career at right guard. Entering the regular season, Jacob Monk had zero.

There is a possibility that Zeitler, who did not play in training camp, could rotate with Donovan Jennings, the Packers’ healthiest option on the offensive line. With temperatures expected to be dialed up to about 90 and humidity to reign supreme, the Packers may not be comfortable giving Zeitler a full workload.

Whatever capacity Zeitler can play, to say he is a massive upgrade is an understatement. The Packers need him to get acclimated quickly or their season will continue to circle the drain. Whatever he can give them can certainly help this weekend.

The Packers' two-man passing game of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden has been ... well, pardon the headline. ⬇️https://t.co/4Co63OQExM
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 3, 2026

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