A look at the Packers' defense, position by position

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Fourteen weeks into last season, the Green Bay Packers ranked fifth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, sixth in fewest points allowed and eighth in ESPN's pass rush win rate. Over the final four weeks, they ranked 24th, 29th and 21st in those respective categories.

One major difference: Micah Parsons.

The star edge rusher tore the ACL in his left knee in the Week 15 game at the Denver Broncos.

Can one player really make that big of a difference?

"I don't ever think that way," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said this offseason. "Certainly, whenever you lose any players, it takes away from your football team. When you lose great players, like Micah and Tucker [Kraft] and others, yeah. It's going to change how you play the game. It's going to change how you try to win the game. But that's the thing about the National Football League, is they don't pause. You can't pause."

The Parsons injury and the late-season collapse, including the playoff loss in which the Chicago Bears scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, didn't prevent defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley from getting the Miami Dolphins head coaching job.

It's now up to Jonathan Gannon, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach, to run the defense. He'll likely be without Parsons for at least the first month of this season.

With that in mind, here's a position-by-position look at whether the Packers are better, worse or the same compared with last season at each position group on defense:

Defensive tackle

Returners: Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Jordon Riley, Jonathan Ford, Nazir Stackhouse, Anthony Campbell

Key losses: Colby Wooden

Key additions: Javon Hargrave, Chris McClellan, Jaden Crumedy

The addition of Hargrave on a two-year, $23 million contract should serve multiple purposes. It gives the Packers size to go along with Wyatt in the middle of the new 3-4 front, it fills holes created in the past 11 months by trading away Kenny Clark and Wooden, plus it's a veteran player who has succeeded under Gannon before in Philadelphia -- where Hargrave had some of his most productive seasons.

"He's a good player; that was a good defense with a lot of good players, and he was a part of that defense," Gannon said. "When we had the ability to acquire him or the chance to acquire him, team-first guy, loves football, smart, and he works his butt off and he's tough as nails. So, anybody that kind of checks those boxes, you want to acquire them if you can. He checked all those boxes. I'm excited to get back with him."

Brinson is expected to make the Year 2 jump. McClellan, a third-round pick, got some work with the starters during offseason practices, which Wyatt missed while recovering from leg and ankle injuries.

Better, worse or the same?: Better

Edge

Returners: Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr., Arron Mosby, Collin Oliver

Key losses: Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare

Key additions: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Nyjalik Kelly

If there's a position that still needs help, it's this one, especially with Parsons unlikely to play before October. Gary has never had a double-digit sack season and likely would have been released if the Cowboys hadn't traded for him. Enagbare left in free agency to sign with the Jets.

For now, it's on Van Ness, the 2023 first-round pick, and Sorrell, who showed flashes last year as a rookie, to produce consistently.

As for Parsons, he was everything the Packers hoped for when they gave up two first-round picks and Clark to acquire him last August. But he faces two questions now: When will he return from his ACL rehab? Will he be as productive (12.5 sacks and a league-high 64 pressures in 14 games)?

Parsons thinks the change to a 3-4 suits him well.

"That's even better because like I said, I can play inside, I can play outside, and now it makes it even more challenging because they don't know who's rushing and who's coming," Parsons said.

Better, worse or the same?: Worse

Linebacker

Returners: Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty'Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch

Key losses: Quay Walker

Key additions: Zaire Franklin, TJ Quinn

When the Packers decided not to re-sign Walker (who got a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the Raiders), they traded for Franklin. In fact, Gutekunst had tried to acquire Franklin previously either in a trade or free agency.

"As we kind of went down and we realized it was going to be really tough to get Quay back, I wanted to make sure we had an answer at middle linebacker, particularly one that might have some veteran presence," Gutekunst said.

Cooper could be a rising star. He made ESPN's list of top-10 off-ball linebackers for the first time, with one veteran NFL defensive coach saying, "He has the size, speed and run-and-hit ability that few have. He can really go."

The Packers like McDuffie's steadiness and believe Hopper can be a capable fill-in.

Better, worse or the same?: The same

Cornerback

Returners: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden, Shemar Bartholomew, Jaylin Simpson

Key losses: Nate Hobbs

Key additions: Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, Domani Jackson, MJ Devonshire Jr., Marlon Jones

Last year was Nixon's first as a full-time outside cornerback after playing mostly in the slot. There's still debate about whether Nixon is a legitimate No. 1 corner.

"The year before I was playing corner but I was also playing nickel, like in those packages, and then just playing outside I felt like I got better as the season went on just because of the reps," Nixon said. "You get all the reps outside, it's just a different beast. I feel like my body slimmed up. I got skinnier just because I run more. It's going good though."

The Packers are still seeking a running mate for Nixon. They thought they had a second corner when they signed Hobbs (four years, $48 million) last offseason, but that didn't work and they moved on.

Without a first-round pick, they used their top selection on Cisse at No. 52 and added a second corner in the sixth round in Jones. They also signed the veteran St-Juste to a modest free agent deal (two years, $10 million).

Better, worse or the same?: The same

Safety

Returners: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo, Johnathan Baldwin, Mark Perry

Key losses: Zayne Anderson

Key additions: Murvin Kenion III

Though his interception numbers dropped from eight in 2024 to just two in 2025, McKinney still made All-Pro (second team) for the second straight year while also serving as one of the leaders of not only the defense but the entire team.

"You think he's been playing forever because he's such a high-performing vet," Gannon said. "But he's still pretty young."

Williams has the makings of a superstar next to McKinney, and they could be one of the best safety duos in the league.

"I feel like me and X are kind of [interchangeable] in terms of going down to the boundary and being a box safety, going back in the post and playing with range," Williams said. "JG has really just given us the freedom to play around with our alignments."

Bullard has settled into the slot position.

The loss of Anderson will be felt more on special teams than on defense.

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