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The Green Bay Packers will hit the field for the first time for training camp on July 29. In some cases, the starters are decided and the depth charts are strong. In other cases, the starters are questionable or the depth is almost nonexistent.
Here is our ranking of the Packers at every position. There are separate rankings for starters and depth, which show some interesting differences.
Note: The ranking of the starters is out of 11 position groups (including special teams) and the ranking of the depth is out of 10 position groups (not including special teams).
Safeties
Starters ranking: 1. Depth ranking: 2.
Depth chart: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo, Jonathan Baldwin, Mark Perry, Murvin Kenion.
The breakdown: There aren’t many teams that can field a better starting tandem than the Packers with McKinney and Williams. It is an elite pairing, with McKinney having no flaw in the game and Williams being a rising standout.
The depth is a slight concern, though, with Bullard being the team’s primary player at the nickel position. Zayne Anderson, who played well on defense in 2024 to show he’s more than just a special-teams standout, will be missed. Oladapo will need to step up to fill the next-man-up void.
Linebackers
Starters ranking: 2. Depth ranking: 1.
Depth chart: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch, TJ Quinn.
The breakdown: Cooper and Franklin are a strong starting pairing based on how Franklin played last season with the Colts. They could be the best duo in the league based on the flurry of big plays recorded by Cooper and Franklin in 2024, when Cooper led all rookies in tackles for losses and Franklin led all players in tackles and was among the league leaders in forced fumbles.
McDuffie and Hopper provide strong depth, and Niemann was a stud on special teams before he was injured.
Quarterbacks
Starters ranking: 3. Depth ranking: 5.
Depth chart: Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord, Kyron Drones.
The breakdown: Jordan Love emerged as one of the top statistical quarterbacks in the NFL last season, when he finished sixth in passer rating and had career-best numbers for completion percentage and interception percentage. That is a winning combination. He took a big step forward in efficiency last season. If he does it again, his status as a top-10 quarterback will be beyond dispute.
Going from Malik Willis to Taylor as the backup as a giant leap backward, obviously. It’s no knock on Taylor; it’s just a recognition of Willis’ unparalleled excellence in the backup role the last two seasons.
Tight Ends
Starters ranking: 4. Depth ranking: 10.
Depth chart: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, Messiah Swinson, Drake Dabney, R.J. Maryland, Luke Lachey.
The breakdown: It was tempting to move the starter ranking up to No. 2 because of Kraft’s brilliance during the first half of last season, but there’s at least some question about his ability to dominate at the start of the season following last year’s torn ACL.
The depth is an enormous question mark, though. Musgrave has had chances each of the last two years to prove he needs to be on the field but failed to take advantage. The unit lacks a rugged blocker, as well, without John FitzPatrick.
Running Backs
Starters ranking: 5. Depth ranking: 9.
Depth chart: Josh Jacobs, Chris Brooks, MarShawn Lloyd, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon.
The breakdown: Jacobs remains a formidable No. 1 running back. While his production dropped sharply last season, that had much more to do with suspect blocking and a midseason knee injury than anything wrong with his game through seven punishing seasons. Mostly, he needs some help.
The depth is a question. Will Lloyd be the answer? After missing all but one game in two professional seasons, he’s got the acceleration to be the explosive counterpoint to the rumbling Jacobs. If injuries continue to dog Lloyd, the Packers might be forced to trade for a backup.
Receivers
Starters ranking: 6. Depth ranking: .8
Depth chart: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, J. Michael Sturdivant, Brenden Rice.
The breakdown: The Packers are all in on Watson, Reed and Golden as the starters for at least the next couple seasons. In flashes, they’ve shown what they can do. More opportunities, obviously, will be coming their way following the departures of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Can they take advantage by being consistent and healthy?
While there’s reason to believe they can combine for at least 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns, there’s no reason to believe in the depth. That doesn’t mean Williams, Melton, Moore and the young players can’t become reliable playmakers. It does mean they haven’t shown anything to make anyone assume that will be the case. Finding at least one more consistent contributor during training camp would be huge.
Offensive Line
Starters ranking: 7. Depth ranking: 7.
Depth chart: LT Jordan Morgan, LG Aaron Banks, C Sean Rhyan, RG Anthony Belton, RT Zach Tom, T/G Darian Kinnard, C/G Jacob Monk, C/G Jager Burton, G/C Donovan Jennings, G/C John Williams, G/T Karsen Barnhart, G Dillon Wade, G Josh Gesky, G/C Dylan Barrett, T/G Travis Glover, T Brant Banks, T Dalton Cooper.
The breakdown: When all is said and done, we might be undervaluing the new starting five. There is reason to believe the Packers will be better at all five positions through personnel changes, individual development and unit health. A full season from right tackle Zach Tom will be critical. Including the playoff loss to Chicago, they went 1-6-1 last season when he was out of the lineup or played less than 30 snaps.
The depth is the challenge, though the Packers might be in better shape than most teams with Kinnard and Burton. It will be interesting to see who will emerge as the backup left tackle. Last year, that was Morgan, obviously.
Specialists
Starters ranking: 8. Depth ranking: NA.
Depth chart: K Trey Smack, K Lucas Havrisik, P Daniel Whelan, LS Matt Orzech.
The breakdown: The Packers have an exceptional punter with Whelan, who somehow was impervious to the late-season cold and finished first in the NFL in average and fourth in net average. Orzech is a solid snapper. The concern, obviously, will be at kicker, where Smack had a rough offseason after the Packers traded up to get him in the sixth round and Havrisik doesn’t have much of a track record.
Defensive Tackles
Starters ranking: 9. Depth ranking: 6.
Depth chart: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Chris McClellan, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jonathan Ford, Jaden Crumedy, Anthony Campbell, Jordon Riley.
The breakdown: Wyatt – when he’s healthy – is one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL. He is an excellent interior pass rusher and has improved his play against the run. The questions are at the other spots. What does Hargrave have left in the tank as a 33-year-old veteran? And how consistent can McClellan be as a 22-year-old rookie?
Depth-wise, this won’t be the 2022 Eagles with Milton Williams and Ndamukong Suh as backups for a Super Bowl defense. But there’s some young upside from the group of Brinson, Brooks, Ford and Stackhouse. Riley could be a factor, too, once he’s back from a torn Achilles.
Cornerbacks
Starters ranking: 10. Depth ranking: 4.
Depth chart: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste, Brandon Cisse, Kamal Hadden, Shemar Bartholmew, Jaylin Simpson, MJ Devonshire, Marlon Jones, Domani Jackson.
The breakdown: To state the obvious, last year’s starting pairing of Nixon and Valentine wasn’t good enough. If they start again, they probably won’t be good enough again.
That means the door is open for St-Juste or Cisse to nudge aside Valentine. The Packers signed St-Juste in free agency after whiffing on Nate Hobbs. He has played some high-level football at times in his five seasons. Cisse was the team’s first draft pick. Would a second-round pick be much of an improvement? Maybe – but maybe not right away.
From top to bottom, a potential quintet of Nixon, Valentine, St-Juste, Cisse and Jackson wouldn’t be bad. On paper, the Packers might not be as good at the top of the depth chart as other teams but they could be better at the bottom.
Edge Defenders
Starters ranking: 11. Depth ranking: 3.
Depth chart: Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Arron Mosby, Collin Oliver, Nyjalik Kelly, Dante Barrett.
The breakdown: The starters ranking, obviously, is based on Parsons not being on the field for the start of the season and the incredible impact it could have on the pass rush.
Parsons had 12.5 sacks in 13 games last year. Van Ness has 8.5 sacks in three seasons. Cox has five in three seasons. As rookies, Sorrell had 1.5 sacks and Oliver had zero. Mosby has 0.5 sacks in three seasons. So, combined in their 11 seasons on the field, the entire edge room without Parsons has 15.5 sacks. That includes four last season.
The depth is intriguing, though. At a position group in which players rotate in and out with frequency, the Packers could have strong numbers if Dennis-Sutton is ready to roll as a rookie and Cox and Oliver stay healthy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as Ranking Starters, Depth for Every Packers Position Group Before Training Camp.
