What to monitor (and what to mostly ignore) early in Packers training camp

Breathless coverage of training camp will soon descend on Green Bay. Some of the information that surfaces will matter much more than the rest.

After months without on-field football, the Green Bay Packers will hold their first public practice of training camp later today. By the following week, players will don their pads for the first time, signaling the return of real football for the 2026 season.

With so much excitement arriving in such a condensed period, observers will cling to any bit of new information and attempt to draw far-reaching conclusions from it. Some cases will warrant this approach, but other developments won’t survive long enough to see Week 1.

So, what situations merit monitoring and which should go ignored until further notice?

Monitor: how the Packers deploy Zaire Franklin and Edgerrin Cooper

Following the Packers’ trade for linebacker Zaire Franklin, it seemed fair to wonder how he might alter the defense. Already, that unit appeared headed for significant changes under new DC Jonathan Gannon, though the arrival of a former All-Pro with a preexisting relationship with the new defensive play-caller raised legitimate questions about the deployment of the off-ball linebackers.

By the time organized-team activities arrived, it became clear that the Packers expected Franklin to become the literal voice of the defense.

“Zaire has been awesome, just a real leader, an alpha, you can feel him, he does a great job communicating,” head coach Matt LaFleur said in May. “He wears the green dot, so, naturally, you’re the quarterback of the defense. I think he holds himself to a high standard, and he holds those around him to a high standard.”

But with Franklin serving as the “green dot” -- the player designated to relay defensive play calls to the rest of the defense -- could Edgerrin Cooper see a snap reduction in the Packers’ new-look defense? And if so, in what situations will Cooper come off the field?