2026 Green Bay Packers in Three Players
The offseason is upon us. Let's take a look at all 32 teams.
The 12th edition of our offseason series is here!
Instead of reviewing all 32 drafts and adding casual commentary, I will be doing this instead.
We will go through every single team, in alphabetical order, and quickly discuss three players:
a favorite free agent signing*
a favorite draft pick
and a player already entrenched on the roster
Not necessarily the best, or the top, or the one's who will play the biggest role, just one of choice.
Onto the Green Bay Packers.
Free Agent Signing
DT Javon Hargrave
Hargrave is entering his 11th season in the NFL, after spending his 10th in Minnesota. He had 3.5 sacks and 4 TFLs in 2025.
The Packers signed Hargrave to a 2 year, $23m contract after he was released from the Vikings.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Javon Hargrave's 2025 season.
Hargrave had career lows in pressure rate and sacks in 2025.
But he was playing a bit of a different role. The Vikings had him playing more of a nose tackle role, while Hargrave is more of a 3 tech, traditional defensive tackle.
Hargrave was not an awful nose tackle, but playing at the 0 or 1 technique definitely does not maximize his skill set.
Hargrave is a stouter guy, but does not have the mass nor length to be a NT. He's just over 300lbs. That's not the size of a true nose.
He thrives as a 3 tech, where he can shoot gaps and show off his quickness and agility. His hands and rush counters are teach tape. Hargrave has been a fantastic pass rusher throughout his career, putting up 49.0 career sacks, including a 3 year stretch of 7.5, 10.0, and 7.0, helping him secure two Pro Bowls.
The possibility of that type of production is reduced when playing nose.
While I do believe Hargrave took a bit of a step back, he was not being maximized as a player. And the good was still really good. As stated, he's a strong pass rusher. He's still got some quickness. And the hands are still there.
Hargrave was not the best against the run, especially as a nose. He simply doesn't have the mass to anchor down and survive consistently. But as a 3 tech, Hargrave is good at using his agility to flow down the line of scrimmage and stop the run.
Javon Hargrave is a very effective player, even headed into Year 11, but he should not be utilized as a nose tackle. New Packers DC has historically had a NT in his defenses, such as Roy Lopez and Dalvin Tomlinson in Arizona.
Who can step up in that role for Green Bay?
Rookie Chris McClellan out of Missouri is an option, as is 2025 UDFA Nazir Stackhouse. Stackhouse saw 160 snaps last season, so I expect him to see the first look.
As long as Hargrave does not have to play nose, I expect Green Bay's defense to be improved around Micah Parsons. A fully healthy trio of Parsons, Hargrave, and DT Devonte Wyatt can wreak havoc for opposing fronts. This will make things easier on whoever is playing edge across from Parsons.
The Packers made very few free agent signings, but Hargrave was a solid pickup to provide some security at an area of need.
Draftee
CB Brandon Cisse
Cisse was taken with 52nd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft out of the University of South Carolina, where he spent the final of his three college seasons.
Cisse, who just recently turned 21 years old, transferred in from NC State, where he only saw action as a back-up. He started all 12 games at SC, recording 27 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 INT, and 5 PDs.
Here is a cut-up of Cisse from South Carolina, courtesy of @BookOfEliNFL on Twitter/X.
I wrote about the Packers' CBs in my article about each NFC team's "fatal flaw." As you can guess by the description of the article, I am not fond of the Green Bay outside CBs. I think there is a high likelihood they are liabilities against teams with a true WR1.
So I expect Brandon Cisse to see the field as a rookie.
Cisse brings solid skillset for a newly 21 year old kid.
The 6'0, 190lb corner is incredibly explosive. That shows in his 93rd percentile vertical leap and 91st percentile broad jump. But it also shows on film when coming downhill in tight spaces, whether against breaking routes or the run.
Speaking of run support, that is Cisse's calling card entering the league. And it's likely to transfer over. Half the battle with CBs defending the run or getting physical with blockers and ballcarriers is the desire. And Cisse possesses that. But he also possesses the smarts for it, knowing how to overcome blockers and get on the ball carrier quickly.
Cisse does have his issues.
And they mostly come from recognition. He can often fall behind because he loses the "mental battle" and recognizes routes late. Sometimes it seems as if, when he sits in zone, there's no point, because he's not gaining an advantage when he reads the quarterback's eyes. Cisse is just guarding grass.
And while Cisse knows how to use his frame to disrupt the WR, he can struggle to make plays on the ball downfield. If he's chasing or in a 50/50 situation and has to react to the receiver's movements, Cisse often loses that battle.
Cisse is not good at guessing, is what it looks like on film. And the fact that he seems to be guessing is also a bit of an issue.
And for a guy who knows how to impact the WR, he did not end up with much production, having just 10 PDs and 2 INTs in his college career.
Brandon Cisse has the athletic ability and "dawg" mentality to succeed in the NFL. He showed he can do everything on a football field in 2025. The question is, how quickly can he adapt to the NFL game?
If Cisse finds a way to be technically dominant in press, or ups his mental ability recognizing routes, he will be a surefire starter for Green Bay and the best CB they've had since Jaire Alexander.
In-House Player
WR Matthew Golden
Golden was the Packers 1st round pick in 2025.
He hardly saw the field his rookie year, barely cracking 50% of snaps, missing 3 games due to a shoulder issue, and only saw less than 50 targets all season.
The Packers traded Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, and Romeo Doubs walked in free agency. Golden is sure to see a high percentage of snaps in 2026, and will be relied upon in the elite Packers passing offense.
Here is a cut-up of Golden's rookie season.
It may have been confusing to a lot of people why Matthew Golden was not seeing the field much. He was a 1st round pick, clearly has superior talent, and brings a special element to the game with his speed.
But this was a very deep WR room, and there were clear deficiencies in Golden's game that probably made limiting his snaps an easy decision for Matt LaFleur.
Despite a couple fantastic clips above that clearly display Golden's ceiling, his decision making and ability with the ball in his hands was poor.
Golden posted -23 YAC over expected last season, and it was easy to see why.
He would run backwards to try to make something out of nothing on screens. When he turned up field, he rarely took a "high IQ" angle to get extra yards. If a defender every got a hand on his legs, Golden went down fairly easily.
He has poor vision for a guy who saw 11% of his targets be screen passes. And he really could not break tackles.
Golden had solid numbers when he was targeted.
A 65.9% catch rate, which ranks in the top 30 among WRs.
0.21 EPA per target, rankings 22nd among WRs.
And his average separation ranks 1st, at 3.5 yards. This number is of course inflated by the amount of screen targets he saw.
But Golden just did not see targets, even when he was on the field.
I think a part of this was him simply being lower on the depth chart. He was hardly the first read on plays. And 45% of the routes he ran were deep. Meaning he was likely just the clear out guy with his speed.
But Golden will be more than that in 2026. As mentioned, Wicks and Doubs are gone. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are what remain beside Golden in the receiving room.
And Watson has only played more than 10 games in a season twice in his career. Reed was very banged up last year, with a broken collarbone and a foot issue. Reed also has struggled with drop problems in the past, although cleaned it up a bit in 2025.
So Golden will have a very large role in a Packers passing offense that has been the best part of every Green Bay team with Jordan Love at QB.
Golden's speed is obviously the highlight. He legitimately can run right by a defense in a straight line.
He also has a fairly good ball tracking ability, both with his eyes and hands. He can track the ball but knows how to go out and get it.
I also loved how well Golden created when Love was in scramble mode. Whenever Love moved outside the pocket, he got himself open. A good skill to have, although a bit disappointing a decent chunk of his production came on such plays.
The biggest thing to watch for Golden in this upcoming season is his route running. It shows up in spades, but is inconsistent.
He has the elite movement ability for both YAC and to be a great route runner, but it just did not all come together last season.
I can't know his responsibility fully. But I do know I want to see him flatten his routes and come back to the ball. Between that, and Love missing him on some throws, I chalk it up to not being on the same page. And with a full offseason after his rookie year of Golden getting 1st team reps, I expect things to flow much smoother between QB and WR next season.
Matthew Golden's 1st round talent showed in spurts last season, but it was not a complete package. With a strong offseason and more reps on the table, I expect the inconsistencies to get leveled out. And I hope he gets stronger in the lower half to break some tackles.
Golden will be playing a big role in the Packers offense, needing to carry the passing game at times. We will see how much to production skyrockets in 2026.
Thanks for reading through our 12th edition of previewing all 32 teams in 3 players! Training camp is nearly upon us, the goal is still to be complete by August. Lots of catching up to do.
Let me know who else on the Packers is worth monitoring this season, good or bad!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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