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3 biggest Packers training camp battles to watch ahead of 2026 NFL season appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Green Bay Packers head into training camp and the 2026 NFL season with a pretty complete and balanced roster. But while most of the Packers’ roster spots and even depth chart positions are set in stone, there are a few training camp battles to watch. Here are the three biggest battles: RB2, right guard, and edge rusher.
Backup RB
Josh Jacobs is the RB1 for the Packers this year, but there are several issues after that. One is that every NFL team needs a solid RB2 to rotate in to give the starter a rest, and two is that Jacobs is now 28, and he’s missed five games in the last three seasons due to injury. Jacobs was also arrested this offseason for domestic abuse charges, so his suspension status remains unclear.
For those reasons, the second running back on the Packers’ depth chart is a crucial piece.
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The Packers would love it if MarShawn Lloyd took the reins and grabbed the job for himself. The 2024 third-round pick out of South Carolina is a talented back, but has struggled mightily with injury in the pros. Everything from knee problems to appendicitis has limited Lloyd to just one game and six carries in two seasons.
Chris Brooks, who is a solid 3rd-down back, could be the option here. However, as that 3rd-down protector and pass-catcher, the Packers would rather keep him fresh to do that and give someone else the RB2 carries. That leaves Pierre Strong Jr. and Damien Martinez, who both spent time on the Packers’ practice squad last season.
Right guard
The Packers’ offensive line is mostly set, with left tackle Jordan Morgan, left guard Aaron Banks, center Sean Rhyan, and right tackle Zach Tom. That leaves right guard, with last year’s starter, Anthony Belton, the most likely candidate. However, Belton was the lowest-performing player on the Green Bay O-line last season. He posted a 48.0 overall grade, per PFF, which was 72nd in the league among guards.
This is a pretty straightforward Packers training camp battle between Belton and rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton. Darian Kinnard may be in the mix a bit, too, but as a four-position backup, he’s more valuable in a sixth lineman role. As for Burton, he is a versatile guard/center who is probably a center long-term. He started 47 consecutive games in college, though, so he is solid and versatile, and may be able to take Belton’s spot for the 2026 campaign.
Edge rusher
Micah Parsons will miss at least the first four games of the Packers’ 2026 NFL season while recovering from his ACL tear. That means Green Bay will need to figure out two starting edge rushers in training camp to at least play for the first month of the season and likely at least a little beyond as Parsons works his way back.
This is basically a four-man race between Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox, and Dani Dennis Sutton, with Collin Oliver and Nyjalik Kelly in the mix as dark horses as well. Van Ness and Sorrell started games last season, but each only produced 1.5 sacks on the year.
Oliver was a 2025 fifth-round pick, Sutton is a 2026 fourth-rounder, and Nyjalik is the highest-paid undrafted free agent in Packers history. If any of these youngsters show out at Packer training camp this season, there is a chance that they grab one or even both of those edge rusher spots.
After the starters are decided, everyone in this rotation will have a four-game window to prove that they are the best man for the job opposite Parsons when he returns.
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