Which Packers players are running out of time in Green Bay?
Much of the offseason discourse has focused on which Packers need to step up for the team to reach its goals. As training camp nears, some players need to step up just to stick around.
Good morning!
Later this week, the Green Bay Packers will report for training camp, effectively kicking off the 2026 season in earnest. While the majority of the past few months have focused on which players need to step up for the team to achieve its goals, today’s edition of The Leap will spotlight the notable veterans who need to perform well during camp and the preseason or risk leaving town for good.
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Which Packers veterans are running out of time in Green Bay?
Jason B. Hirschhorn: At this point, any regular reader of The Leap knows which players need to take the leap in 2026 for the Packers to reach their goals. For example, Lukas Van Ness must build on the potential he flashed over the previous three years and become a major contributor, especially with Micah Parsons sidelined to start the season. MarShawn Lloyd, now apparently healthy, has the chance to supercharge the backfield if he can finally avoid injury.
However, even if Van Ness doesn’t show progress or Lloyd’s explosivity doesn’t manifest on the field, both will presumably remain in Green Bay for the 2026 season. The same might not apply to some other notable veterans on the roster.
• Travis Glover and Jacob Monk
The Packers’ offensive line faces a lot of valid questions entering training camp -- can Aaron Banks bounce back from a disappointing first year in Green Bay, will Anthony Belton settle in at guard after a rough midseason transition, and has Sean Rhyan finally found a home at center -- but the hierarchy does appear well established. Barring injury or an unforeseeable development, the coaching staff probably already knows the starting five before the first practice in pads.
The situation looks far less certain behind the starters, however. Darian Kinnard returns as a versatile tackle-guard backup, and fifth-round rookie Jager Burton spent the offseason program as the top interior swing. Still, Kinnard spent the vast majority of 2025 as a backup right tackle and “jumbo” tight end, and Burton’s status remains entirely in flux until he shows something in pads. Accordingly, the Packers likely need competition from some of their Year 3 linemen to feel confident about the depth in the trenches.
That means Travis Glover and Jacob Monk, two draft picks from 2024, have a lot at stake over the coming months. The former has played meaningful snaps, including some in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the latter has mostly made the 53 due to his draft status, playing six offensive snaps outside of a de facto exhibition against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 of last season. However, a season-ending shoulder injury prevented Glover from pushing for a top backup role in 2025, and Monk saw his potential replacement drafted in Burton earlier this year.
Glover has tackle-guard versatility as well as the size that the Packers have prioritized over the past two offseasons. Head coach Matt LaFleur spoke glowingly of him when the aforementioned injury wiped out his 2025. That suggests Glover has real potential in the coaching staff’s estimation, but the front office won’t continue to make space for him without evidence of progress. As for Monk, he’ll have to fight just to get consistent practice reps and preseason snaps with either the No. 1 or No. 2 offense.
Given the numbers, it seems unlikely that both Glover and Monk will earn safe passage to the initial 53-man roster later this year, and a scenario exists where neither makes the cut.
• Ty’Ron Hopper
General manager Brian Gutekunst went against consensus when he selected Ty’Ron Hopper in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While the linebacker started college games at Florida and Missouri -- both quality SEC programs -- he lacked the type of elite physical tools that typically push prospects at his position into the top 100.
Though two full seasons in the league, Hopper has yet to validate the Packers’ faith in him. While he has appeared in every game over that stretch, Hopper has managed just 144 defensive snaps thus far. More concerning still, nearly half of those snaps came in Green Bay’s meaningless regular-season finale in Minnesota. Hopper has carved out significant roles on special teams, but that alone might not save him when final cuts arrive.
For better or worse, Hopper will have new coaches to impress in 2026. On defense, he’ll operate within a new system installed by recently hired DC Jonathan Gannon. The Packers also have a new special-teams coordinator following the departure of Rich Bisaccia. Perhaps Hopper benefits from those changes and can push for playing time from scrimmage. Of course, if Green Bay felt good about such an outcome, the front office probably wouldn’t have just extended reserve linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.
• Messiah Swinson
Though the Packers didn’t draft Messiah Swinson, they have still invested a considerable amount of time into the former UDFA. Officially, the tight end has three separate stints in Green Bay, the most recent beginning in early January when the team signed him to the practice squad.
Even at a position like tight end, Swinson quite literally stands out, measuring over 6-foot-7 and weighing roughly 260 pounds. Such imposing size offers upside on special teams and as a blocker on offense, especially in a league that has seen a significant uptick in the use of 12 and 13 personnel over the past year. Swinson also has a notable college pedigree, having split his time between Missouri and Arizona State.
However, the Packers have brought in competition for the final roster spots at the position, signing 2025 draft pick Luke Lachey off the street and adding RJ Maryland as a UDFA. The Lachey acquisition in particular puts Swinson behind the eight ball, given their comparable statures.
Swinson, who has spent more time in the league, could still overcome the competition. But if he doesn’t, the Packers probably won’t consider a fourth stint for him.