Although the Green Bay Packers made the playoffs last year, the team lost its final five games, including its Wild Card defeat to the Chicago Bears. That was partly due to the team suffering significant injuries to top players Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft earlier in the season.
The losses of Parsons and Kraft were just part of what may have derailed the Packers’ season, along with other internal issues within the roster. But replacing key contributors on each side of the ball clearly had its effects. Now, the question has become when they will be available for the 2026 season.
Adam Schefter Provides Updates On Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft
Appearing on the May 14 episode of ESPN’s Get Up, NFL insider Adam Schefter gave updates on each Packers star.
“The feeling within the organization has been that Parsons would miss the early part of the season and be back early on,” Schefter said. “He’ll be a candidate to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list. So heard three to four games potentially missed.”
The problems seemed to begin immediately for the Packers once Parsons tore his ACL during a Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos in mid-December. They did not win another game after that.
As for Kraft, Schefter reported much better news regarding the tight end.
“They are expecting Tucker Kraft back at the start of the season,” Schefter said.
Kraft also tore his ACL, but his injury occurred much earlier in the year during a Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers in November.
Upcoming 2026 NFL Schedule Release Will Reveal Micah Parsons’ Games Missed
Obviously, Parsons is the bigger story for the Packers, considering the season essentially unraveled after he went down. After all, the trade for Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys was one of the biggest storylines entering the season, especially given the price Green Bay paid.
The Packers sent the Cowboys their next two first-round picks along with veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark in exchange for the All-Pro pass rusher. In 14 games, Parsons was every bit what Green Bay hoped for. He recorded 12.5 sacks and still led the team in that category by a wide margin.
With the 2026 NFL schedule release approaching, the Packers will soon know exactly which games they may have to navigate without Parsons.
Ahead of the official release, only a handful of games have been leaked unofficially. Two of those could be impacted by Parsons’ absence. One is a Week 2 road game against the New York Jets at noon on Sept. 20. The other is another road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 at noon on Oct. 4.
Only two games have been officially announced for the Packers at that point: a Thanksgiving Eve road game against the Los Angeles Rams on Netflix and the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz also reported that the Packers will face the Bears on the road on Christmas Day, another game scheduled to stream on Netflix.
At least when it comes to those contests, Parsons — along with Kraft — should be back, provided both remain healthy.
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