General manager Brian Gutekunst should be arrested for highway robbery<\/a> for getting a fourth-round pick for Rashan Gary. While the Packers won that trade, who knows if the same will be true<\/a> of trading defensive tackle Colby Wooden for linebacker Zaire Franklin and replacing Quay Walker with Franklin.<\/p>\n All of the team\u2019s re-signings, ranging from running back Chris Brooks to defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, were smart.<\/p>\n And yet, in this case, the entirety of its free agency isn\u2019t worth the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n Have the Packers Gotten Better?<\/p>\n This is a drum we bang constantly here: This is Titletown, and winning the Super Bowl should be the only thing from which success and failure should be judged. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the 2026 season would be a failure if the Packers lost the NFC Championship Game on a walk-off field goal. It does mean every step along the way should be about getting to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n The Packers haven\u2019t won the NFC North since 2021. They are coming off back-to-back-to-back seasons of being the No. 7 seed, which is practically an impossible road to get to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n Through the initial waves of free agency, and with most of the impact players off the market, are the Packers any closer to winning the NFC North and making a run at the Super Bowl today than when they walked off the field in dismay and disgrace after losing to the Bears in the playoffs?<\/p>\n It would be impossible to say yes.<\/p>\n The Packers\u2019 biggest needs this offseason were improving at defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, offensive line and returner.<\/p>\n At least the Packers got their returner with Moore, who was one of three players to finish in the top 10 in punt returns and kickoff returns in 2025.<\/p>\n But what about those other weaknesses?<\/p>\n At defensive end, where Micah Parsons is coming off a torn ACL and probably will miss the start of the season, the Packers traded Gary and lost Kingsley Enagbare in free agency. They have not been replaced.<\/p>\n At defensive tackle, the Packers needed to get bigger and tougher after finishing 18th against the run. So, they traded 25-year-old Colby Wooden \u2013 their best run-stopper at the position \u2013 and replaced with him with 33-year-old Javon Hargrave. On running plays, Wooden had six tackles for losses and Hargrave had one.<\/p>\n The Packers traded Wooden for Franklin. Financially, this was a no-brainer. Walker\u2019s four-year contract averages $13.5 million per season. Franklin\u2019s two-year total is about $16.0 million. The last three seasons, Franklin had a combined 10 interceptions and forced fumbles and Walker had one. However, Franklin is coming off a down season and will turn 30 on July 2.<\/p>\n Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs fumbles into the end zone while being tackled by Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin. | Wm. Glasheen\/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt the Packers are better at cornerback by releasing Nate Hobbs, who they hoped could play perimeter cornerback, and signing St-Juste, who has shown he can play perimeter cornerback. But is St-Juste good enough to be a starter, or will he only be better depth?<\/p>\n On the offensive line, it\u2019s Jordan Morgan\u2019s time to replace Rasheed Walker at left tackle. They drafted him in the first round in 2024 for this moment. Ready or not, it\u2019s here. At center, Sean Rhyan parlayed seven starts at center into ranking seventh at the position with his $11 million per season. The Packers also re-signed Darian Kinnard.<\/p>\n Individually, there was nothing wrong with any of those moves. But on the whole, have the Packers improved? Even a little?<\/p>\n Are Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, the next men up at defensive end after quiet rookie seasons, better than Gary and Enagbare?<\/p>\n At defensive tackle, Hargrave is a better pass rusher than Wooden but is he better overall? And, as was the case a week ago, do the Packers have enough manpower up front?<\/p>\n At cornerback, the depth is better with St-Juste but will the defense be appreciably better even if he wins the starting job?<\/p>\n On the offensive line, the decisions on Walker, Rhyan and Kinnard probably were all correct when examined individually. But will the line as a whole be better after Green Bay\u2019s run game went from 4.75 yards per carry in 2024 to 4.14 in 2025?<\/p>\n Crossing Their Fingers<\/p>\n The Packers are a draft-and-develop team, and they\u2019ll count on that development.<\/p>\n At defensive end, Brenton Cox played a little in 2024, Sorrell played a little as a rookie in 2025 and Oliver barely played at all as a rookie due to hamstring injuries. They might be thrust into major roles, especially with Parsons unlikely to be available to start the season. All the Packers have otherwise is Lukas Van Ness, who hasn\u2019t exactly taken the league by storm.<\/p>\n At defensive tackle, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse showed some flashes. They\u2019re in line to be key players in 2026 but are going to have to be a lot stronger against the run than they were as rookies.<\/p>\n Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit (9) is forced out of bounds by Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Sean Rhyan (75). | Jeff Lange \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n Rhyan has played 460 snaps of center in his life. He\u2019s got to win physically and mentally. There\u2019s no reason why he can\u2019t do it but, as with the others, there\u2019s some projection involved.<\/p>\n Wishing and hoping isn\u2019t a great roster-building plan. But that\u2019s what the Packers will be doing. They\u2019ll be hoping there\u2019s another step in Jordan Love\u2019s game. They\u2019ll be hoping Morgan will be a lock-down blind-side protector. They\u2019ll be hoping Rhyan is on his way toward being a top-10 center. They\u2019ll be hoping Hargrave and Franklin can turn back the clock. They\u2019ll be hoping young players will rise to the occasion. They\u2019ll be hoping Parsons and tight end Tucker Kraft can make spectacular recoveries from their knee injuries.<\/p>\n Individually, all of those things are possible. Taken together, will enough projection turn into production for the Packers to contend for a championship?<\/p>\n Grading the Packers\u2019 Start to Free Agency<\/p>\n Give Gutekunst credit for stealing a more-than-respectable fourth-round pick for Gary. Getting that selection and the free-agent compensatory picks should more than offset not having a first-round pick.<\/p>\n![\"Green](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kkmacg12xyh8d6e390.jpg\" "\\"Green")
<\/p>\n![\"Cleveland](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kkmaaayy2nsx8gqq81.jpg\" "\\"Cleveland")
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