Top Ten Best Green Bay Packers Players Going Into the 2026 NFL Season

2025 was a strange year for the Packers as a franchise. What started on a very high note of facilitating the biggest trade in franchise history and one of the biggest in NFL history dropped all the way to the level of squandering a commanding lead against their biggest rival on the road in the playoffs. All the while, virtually half of their most important players experienced injuries at some point or another, both major and minor.

As such, 2026 is going to be a critical season for the Packers and will answer the question of whether all the splurges they've made to transform their roster into a Super Bowl contender have been worth it. These players are going to be major components in this upcoming season. Here, we're looking at the top ten best Green Bay Packers players going into the 2026 NFL season.

The Top Ten

Micah Parsons

Perhaps the biggest thing looming over Green Bay as a whole this season is when exactly Parsons will return from his torn ACL. He's going to start the season on PUP, which means he'll miss at least the first four weeks of the season. It's unfortunate because he's far and away the best player on this roster.
Acquired in a blockbuster trade last August, Parsons made his presence felt immediately. He was a one-man wrecking crew on what was once an anemic pass rush, and he also elevated the younger players around him. Parsons recorded 12.5 sacks and was named a First-Team All-Pro.
However, his season met an untimely end in December when he tore his ACL in Denver. The Packers didn't win a single game after he left, which really hammers home just how important he is as a player. Another question is, will he truly return to form even when he returns? Only time will tell when the Packers get their most important player back.
Jordan Love

Love just seems to be criminally underrated by virtually everyone, which makes no sense to me given how much I've seen him develop as a passer in his first three seasons starting. Even with a consistent stream of injuries to virtually all of his targets, Love has remained steadfast. He's been increasingly efficient with the ball as the years have gone by, and his turnovers have also steadily decreased.
He even had one of the best games of his career in the playoffs this past season. Love is legitimately a top-ten quarterback, and with a depleted running back room, it might finally be the year he's allowed to cut loose and sling the ball around even more.
Xavier McKinney

McKinney has quietly been an elite presence on the back end of Green Bay's defense. The interception totals were down last year, but that's because quarterbacks rarely even test his side of the field anymore. McKinney even got Second-Team All-Pro honors last season.
Now more than ever, with a still questionable cornerback room, McKinney remains an incredibly important presence for this defense, especially going into Jonathan Gannon's first year as the defensive coordinator.
Tucker Kraft

Last season we got a taste of what prime Kraft looks like, as he was on pace to absolutely shatter franchise records across the board at the tight end position before suffering an untimely ACL tear in early November. Fortunately, he will be ready for Week 1, and will have a full season to establish himself as a star in the league.
He fits the mold of what George Kittle was in his peak form in San Francisco, an athletic freak who gets insane yards after the catch and is an incredible blocker as well. He will undoubtedly be extended soon, and will be arguably Jordan Love's most important target of the 2026 season.
Zach Bako-Bewele

With a new last name comes new expectations for ZBB. 2025 was a very injury-riddled year for someone who is otherwise a rising star at right tackle.
Now in the first year of his extension, ZBB is really the only true anchor on the offensive line right now, with a lot of questions surrounding everyone else. His absence was very noticeable last season as the team floundered late in the year, so it's crucial that he remains healthy, because when he is, he's an elite tackle.
Devonte Wyatt

As important as Micah Parsons is to this defense, I would almost argue that Wyatt's the true anchor of that whole unit. As soon as he went down with a season-ending ankle injury last season, the defense was never the same again. Wyatt is a force on the defensive line, not only as a run stopper, but in getting lots of penetration as well. The line looks revamped this year, and Wyatt will be right in the middle of it fresh off of an extension.
Edgerrin Cooper

Cooper was good last season, don't get me wrong, but something almost seemed missing when comparing him to his phenomenal rookie year. Perhaps Jonathan Gannon can truly unlock his elite form.
Gone is Quay Walker, and in now is Zaire Franklin, a wily veteran, as Cooper's running mate in the middle of the defense. Cooper is easily the team's best coverage linebacker, and is incredibly rangy. He's also almost always the first guy to get to the ball carrier, whether it's in the backfield or beyond. It's hard to overstate his impact for the team.
Christian Watson

Watson missed the first half of last season coming off a torn ACL, but when he did return, he was legitimately playing the best football of his career. Now he's, in my opinion, the unquestionable WR1, combined with Romeo Doubs' departure and his massive extension. He's a dangerous downfield threat who still has high-end speed and is a capable and willing blocker, a perfect fit for what Matt LaFleur wants in his offense.
Evan Williams

Williams has put together back-to-back great seasons as the starting strong safety and is the other half of one of the top safety duos in the NFL. He's the defense's best and most sure tackler and also showed a penchant for forcing turnovers last season. As I said about McKinney, the secondary would be in shambles without Williams.
Jayden Reed

Reed was definitely missed last year as he spent a good chunk of the season recovering from a broken collarbone (notice how many players on this list missed significant time due to injury last season). Reed also signed an extension this offseason and is the top option as the slot receiver.