If the Green Bay Packers are going to be legitimate contenders in the NFC in 2026, they're going to need a number of young players to step up and have breakout seasons.
Luckily for the Packers, the roster overhaul in 2026 is nothing overly new. They have managed to stay contenders in the NFC North despite transitioning away from some of the best players in franchise history, including Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. But this season presents a unique opportunity for young players at the most important non-quarterback positions on the roster.
Matt LaFleur and his staff have done it before. This is not unfamiliar territory for the Packers -- needing young players to step up, or else -- and a handful of these young players having a breakthrough year could potentially push the Packers beyond just being a contender in the NFC North, and maybe even the team to beat in the NFC.
Breakout players who would make the Packers the NFC favorites in 2026
1. Matthew Golden, wide receiver
When they selected Matthew Golden on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Packers ended a drought of first-round receivers that had been ongoing since selecting Javon Walker in 2002. The team is putting some major faith behind that investment, letting Romeo Doubs (the team's leader in targets two of the last three seasons) walk in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles.
The Packers still have more proven playmakers, like tight end Tucker Kraft and receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, but there is going to be some big pressure this year on Golden as a first-round pick.
We saw glimpses of it last season as he racked up over 400 yards from scrimmage, but what Golden did in the playoff loss to the Bears (four receptions, 84 yards, one TD) is more along the lines of what everyone will expect going forward. He has the skill set to be a high-volume target in Matt LaFleur's offense, and everything is pointing to the Packers unleashing him in 2026.
2/3. Jordan Morgan & Anthony Belton, offensive line
When the Packers took Jordan Morgan, the vision was always that he would likely eventually end up at the left tackle position. After two years of flexing his versatility -- their most coveted asset among offensive line prospects -- he's finally going to settle in at the position he was drafted to play.
And to say the first two years of Morgan's career have been a struggle might be an understatement. And he's acknowledged as much. Morgan's talent has never been a question, but versatility doesn't automatically equate to being able to play at the highest level as a professional at every offensive line spot.
Morgan has had to learn in a trial-by-fire sort of way, but having the assurance of knowing he's in his "forever home" should at least help him know every week that he can keep stacking and building, putting roots down at left tackle.
Anthony Belton is on a similar path to Morgan, although he's penciled in as the starting right guard entering training camp. Belton was a longtime starter at the left tackle position at the college level, but once again, the Packers ask a lot in the way of versatility from their offensive linemen.
The ideal starting five on the offensive line includes a team's five most talented players, and Belton was a second-round pick last year. The results on the field as a rookie were a little alarming, but players need room to grow and struggle, especially when you've invested in them like the Packers have both Morgan and Belton.
If those two can have breakout seasons, Green Bay's offensive line and youth movement will look like a stroke of genius.
4. Brandon Cisse, cornerback
The Packers didn't have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they might have gotten a steal in the second round in cornerback prospect Brandon Cisse. Part of the reason why Cisse fell to the second round is the fact that he's just 21 years old and not entirely the sum of his parts just yet.
But as a physical and ultra-athletic cornerback, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon can -- and must -- set him up for early success.
Cisse is too talented and explosive to not be in the rotation somewhere this coming season, and if he can hit another level in his development trajectory as a rookie in the NFL, it will address what has been arguably the Packers' biggest defensive question mark over the past couple of years.
Green Bay has some veterans who can hold down the fort until his ready, but Cisse being a Week 1 starter -- while not a necessity -- would mean a lot for the Green Bay defense in Gannon's first year calling the shots.
5. Lukas Van Ness, edge rusher
At some point, patience for Lukas Van Ness is going to run out...unless he can have the breakout year everyone's been waiting for since he was a first-round pick back in 2023.
Van Ness was a bit of a controversial pick coming out of Iowa, but everyone understood what the Packers saw in him. Playing in Phil Parker's defense at Iowa, Van Ness was extremely disruptive despite being somewhat limited in his snaps at the college level as well. In the NFL, the Packers just haven't been comfortable enough to keep him on the field.
He played just nine games last season due to injury, and he didn't even hit 40 percent of the team's defensive snaps in the two years prior. Especially with Micah Parsons out, and especially after saying goodbye to Rashan Gary this offseason, the Packers are once again throwing Van Ness out of the proverbial nest and expecting him to spread his wings.
6. Trey Smack, kicker
Nobody in the entire Packers' fan base wants to imagine another year with kicking being an issue. The Packers have tried just about everything when it comes to finding solutions at the kicker position, and rookie Trey Smack is the latest.
Throwing a draft pick at the problem doesn't always work. In fact, it can amplify it because of the additional pressure. Smack being a breakout stud would undoubtedly help the Packers more than anyone realizes. Many, if not most, NFL games come down to one score. If you've got a kicker missing field goals or extra points, it can be the very thing you point to in a tight loss.
Again, Packers fans don't need any explanation of that, but Smack can exorcise those demons with a huge rookie year. Smack missed just one extra point over the last three seasons. He can deliver from 50-plus with regularity. He could be a weapon as a rookie if he's got ice in his veins.
7. Barryn Sorrell, edge rusher
Another potential breakout player who could set the Packers on a championship trajectory this season is edge rusher Barryn Sorrell. Or maybe Sorrell is simply the placeholder for "anyone" stepping up in the absence of Micah Parsons.
Parsons is taking his recovery from a major knee injury seriously and approaching his long-term health with caution. Considering the Packers' investment in him, that's the wise course of action. In the interim, a young player like Sorrell could step up and give the Packers some juice off the edge, and be a future starter or valuable depth when Parsons returns.
Not only is Parsons out right now, but Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare are also gone. Sorrell got some action last year as a rookie, but on a limited basis. He played 178 total defensive snaps in 14 games, leaving the door wide open for a breakout in 2026.
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