What Packers Offseason Depth Chart Looks Like Without Free Agents

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If you’re Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and you’re getting set to build your roster for the upcoming season, the starting point is knowing who’s under contract.

With nine unrestricted free agents and eight restricted free agents, the 2026 roster is going to look considerably different than the group that staggered off the field following their wild-card collapse against the Bears.

With that as a backdrop, here is what the depth charts look like if you remove the upcoming free agents. Exclusive-rights free agents are assumed to be retained, injured players are assumed healthy and potential cost-cutting cuts are assumed to be back on the roster.

At the end of the story is a two-deep depth chart with roster cuts factored into the equation.

Quarterbacks

Starter: Jordan Love.

Backups: Desmond Ridder, Kyle McCord.

Free agent: Malik Willis (unrestricted).

Analysis: The Packers don’t have the money to re-sign Willis. Even if they did, he has earned the right to be a starting quarterback. The Packers signed Ridder, a former third-round pick with starting experience, late in the season and McCord, a sixth-round pick by the Eagles this year, after the season.

Running Backs

Starter: Josh Jacobs.

Backups: MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez.

Free agents: Emanuel Wilson (restricted), Chris Brooks (restricted).

Analysis: The Packers could save considerable money by going younger at running back, but just look at the depth chart without him. It goes without saying this will be the biggest offseason of Lloyd’s career.

Receivers

Starters: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden.

Backups: Dontayvion Wicks, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Jakobie Keeney-James, Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard.

Free agents: Romeo Doubs (unrestricted).

Analysis: Doubs will enter free agency as one of the more productive receivers in the 2022 draft class. Doubs doesn’t have a single 100-yard game in his career in regular-season play but had two in the playoffs, including a superb game against Chicago in the wild-card round. Presumably, the Packers didn’t draft Golden and Williams so they could re-sign both Watson and Doubs.

Tight Ends

Starter: Tucker Kraft.

Backups: Luke Musgrave, Drake Dabney, McCallan Castles, Messiah Swinson.

Free agents: John FitzPatrick (unrestricted), Josh Whyle (restricted).

Analysis: Whyle was a productive player for the Titans in 2024. FitzPatrick tore his Achilles at Chicago in Week 16. Three of the four backups are practice-squad players.

Left Tackles

Starter: Jordan Morgan.

Backups: Brant Banks.

Free agents: Rasheed Walker (unrestricted).

Analysis: In free agency last offseason, Dan Moore jumped from the Steelers to the Titans with a four-year contract worth $82 million. That was enough to get the Steelers a third-round compensatory pick. Walker is a better player than Moore. The Packers drafted Morgan in the first round in 2024 so he could start in 2026.

Left Guards

Starter: Aaron Banks.

Backups: Lecitus Smith, John Williams.

Free agents: None.

Analysis: Banks was signed last offseason to a four-year contract worth $77 million. He was so-so during his debut season. The Packers will have to decide whether they want to pay him a $9.5 million roster bonus on the third day of the league-year. They’d save about $4.54 million against the cap at the cost of swallowing $20.25 million in dead money and creating a hole in the lineup.

Centers

Starter: Elgton Jenkins.

Backups: Jacob Monk.

Free agents: Sean Rhyan (unrestricted).

Analysis: It’s almost impossible to believe the Packers will pay Jenkins an $18.5 million base salary when they could save more than $19.5 million against the cap. Then again, are the Packers prepared to go with Monk if they are unable to re-sign Rhyan?

Right Guards

Starter: Anthony Belton.

Backups: Donovan Jennings, Karsen Barnhart.

Free agents: None.

Analysis: Belton, a second-round pick this year, started at right guard down the stretch. On the whole, he wasn’t good enough, but there were enough high-level snaps that the Packers have to be excited about his future if they let him focus on guard.

Right Tackles

Starter: Zach Tom.

Backups: Travis Glover, Dalton Cooper.

Free agents: Darian Kinnard (restricted).

Analysis: The Packers traded a sixth-round pick to the Eagles for Kinnard, a 2022 draft pick who at the time had played in only three games. He was a valuable role player. Glover was a sixth-round pick in 2024 who spent this season on injured reserve.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) and linebacker Quay Walker (7) pressure Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Defensive Ends

Starters: Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary.

Backups: Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver.

Free agents: Kingsley Enagbare (unrestricted), Brenton Cox (restricted), Arron Mosby (restricted).

Analysis: The starters on the list are deceiving. Parsons almost certainly won’t be ready for Week 1 and Gary is coming off an abysmal second half of the season and might not be brought back. He is due an $18.0 million base salary and could save almost $11.0 million against the cap.

Defensive Tackles

Starters: Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden.

Backups: Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jordon Riley, James Ester, Anthony Campbell, Jaden Crumedy, Dante Barnett.

Free agents: Jonathan Ford (restricted).

Analysis: Wyatt will play under the fifth-year option this year and probably will be given a cap-saving roster extension. He’s an impact player when healthy but has averaged only 379 snaps per season. As the saying goes, there’s strength in numbers. If only that was true of an NFL depth chart.

Linebackers

Starters: Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper.

Backups: Jamon Johnson.

Free agents: Quay Walker (unrestricted), Nick Niemann (unrestricted), Kristian Welch (unrestricted).

Analysis: One thing for certain is the Packers like Walker better than you or Pro Football Focus’ graders do after four seasons. The Packers have salary-cap challenges and it’s time for Hopper, a third-round pick in 2024, to get on the field. Niemann was a standout on special teams and Welch has a long history in the third phase.

Cornerbacks

Starters: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Javon Bullard (slot).

Backups: Nate Hobbs, Kamal Hadden, Bo Melton, Jaylin Simpson, Shemar Bartholomew, Tyron Herring.

Free agents: None.

Analysis: Last offseason, the Packers jettisoned Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes and gave a four-year, $48 million contract to Hobbs, who was injured for most of the season. The cap savings are negligible, but the team would save more than $8.0 million in cash, including a $6.25 million roster bonus due on the third-day of the league year. The problem is the Packers have no depth.

Safeties

Starters: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams.

Backups: Kitan Oladapo, Jonathan Baldwin, Mark Perry.

Free agents: Zayne Anderson (restricted).

Analysis: Anderson, who finished the season on injured reserve, tied for the team high with 14 tackles on special teams. Obviously, Bullard factors into the depth at safety. Oladapo and, especially, Baldwin played well in the Week 18 loss to the Vikings.

Specialists

Starters: K Brandon McManus, P Daniel Whelan, LS Matt Orzech.

Backups: K Lucas Havrisik.

Free agents: None.

Analysis: McManus was sensational when signed in 2024 and returned to form down the stretch in 2025 but had a key miss in the 2024 playoffs and a nightmare game in the 2025 playoffs. He is due a $1 million roster bonus and the Packers could save about $1.95 million. Havrisik booted a 61-yard field goal when McManus was injured and finished the season on the practice squad.

Packers Projected Two-Deep Depth Chart

The following chart shows the starter and top backup at every position when players who will be free agents or could be cost-cutting cuts are not included.