The Green Bay Packers spent most of last season looking close to becoming an NFC contender.
But Green Bay lost its final five games, including a 31-27 wild-card defeat to the Chicago Bears after building an 18-point halftime lead.
The collapse left the Packers at 9-8-1 and turned a encouraging season into another early playoff exit.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes the roster remains capable of making a much larger jump in 2026.
He compared Green Bay’s position to the Seattle Seahawks before their Super Bowl season, writing that the Packers appear ready to move “from good to great.”
The warning attached to that projection centers on Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft.
Both suffered torn ACLs last season, leaving Green Bay’s most disruptive defender and one of its most productive pass catchers in recovery as training camp approaches.
Parsons’ Return Could Uplift Packers Remarkably
GettyGreen Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons might not be ready to start the 2026 NFL campaign.
The Packers acquired Parsons to become the player who could change an entire game plan.
He delivered immediately.
Parsons recorded 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 26 quarterback hits and 83 pressures in 14 starts during his first season in Green Bay.
Pro Football Focus gave Parsons a 91.9 overall grade, third among 115 qualified edge defenders, while his 92.9 pass-rush grade ranked second.
He was also one of only five players leaguewide to finish with a pass-rush win rate above 20%.
Unfortunately, his year ended when he suffered a non-contact knee injury against Denver on Dec. 14.
That timing makes his recovery a bit complicated.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said during organized team activities that Parsons was “doing great” in rehabilitation but expected him to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
The Packers can survive a cautious start if their other young edge rushers create pressure.
But it’s no secret that they become a different defense when Parsons is available.
His speed forces offenses to adjust protections before the snap and gives Green Bay a closer capable of ending drives without a blitz, hugely valuable traits against quarterbacks the Packers will need to defeat in January.
Seattle’s leap last season was supported by a defense that carried championship-level pressure into the postseason.
Green Bay’s version of that formula depends on Parsons returning close to the player who dominated before the injury.
Kraft Gives Jordan Love a Needed Middle-of-Field Target
Tucker Kraft #85 of the Green Bay Packers
Kraft’s injury came earlier, and his recovery appears further along.
The tight end caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns through eight games before tearing his ACL against Carolina on Nov. 2.
He led the Packers in all three categories when he went down, and headed all qualifying tight ends with 10.8 yards after the catch per reception, per PFF.
Packers.com noted that doubling those totals over a full season would have produced 64 receptions, 978 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Each number would have set a franchise record for a Packers tight end, and his return matters beyond the receiving totals.
Kraft gives Jordan Love a reliable option between the numbers, with enough yards after contact to threaten defenses without depending on one receiver winning outside.
His blocking also helps Green Bay disguise whether a formation will produce a run or pass.
Breer’s comparison to Seattle offers the Packers an encouraging ceiling.
The Seahawks went 14-3 before beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
Green Bay already has enough young talent to believe a similar rise is possible.
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