Will 2026 see the Packers snap their UDFA streak?
For 21 straight years, the Packers have played Week 1 with at least one undrafted rookie on the 53-man roster. With final cuts less than two weeks away, that streak seems in jeopardy.
Good morning!
The Green Bay Packers have their first preseason game under their belts and another exhibition set to kick off in four days. The shape of the roster has come into focus, and fewer roles seem genuinely up for grabs with just a few weeks remaining before final cuts.
Today’s edition of The Leap looks at what the recent roster developments mean for a 21-year-old streak as well as some key position battles.
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Is the Packers’ UDFA streak in danger?
Jason B. Hirschhorn: For the past 21 years, the Packers entered their Week 1 matchup with at least one undrafted rookie on the 53-man roster. That streak seems at least somewhat in jeopardy, as no member of the team’s 2026 UDFA class appears to have a clear path to a roster spot.
Take RJ Maryland, an undrafted rookie tight end the Packers signed to fill out the roster behind then-injured starter Tucker Kraft and oft-injured Luke Musgrave. Kraft didn’t appear in the preseason opener and only returned to 11-on-11 work on Sunday, while Musgrave has spent all of training camp so far on the physically unable to perform list due to a neck injury. On paper, a tremendous opportunity exists there for a UDFA, but Maryland went down less than a full week into August. Green Bay eventually reached an injury settlement with Maryland.
Fellow UDFA J. Michael Sturdivant faces a different problem. He has delivered an exemplary training camp to date, most recently making a diving touchdown catch to close out Sunday’s one-on-one period. Sturdivant offers enough talent and upside to warrant a roster spot, but he’ll have to unseat a veteran in order to do so.
Health permitting, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Christian Watson will serve as the Packers’ starting wideouts this season. Savion Williams, a third-rounder in 2025, will also presumably receive safe passage to the 53, as will returner and backup slot Skyy Moore. Unless Green Bay opts to retain more than six receivers, that means Sturdivant will probably have to take Bo Melton’s job while also staving off pushes from guys like Isaiah Neyor, the team’s leading pass catcher in the preseason opener.
Could a different undrafted rookie sneak his way on the 53? Linebacker TJ Quinn has made some inroads on special teams, working with the No. 1 punt unit last week. However, based on the preseason opener, it still appears the Packers prefer veterans Nick Niemann and Kristian Welch, and Quinn will need to beat out at least one for a job. Safety Murvin Kenion III has delivered a few nice moments over camp, but his rise has largely reflected the lack of healthy depth behind Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, and Javon Bullard. Quinn and Kenion each have a chance to stick in Green Bay, but that might require time on the practice squad.
Perhaps the best hope for the Packers’ UDFA streak comes from a player currently not on the 90-man roster. The team has claimed rookies off waivers directly following final cuts in the past, such as tight end Ben Sims in 2023. That example could prove particularly instructive, given the aforementioned depth issues at that position. General manager Brian Gutekunst and the personnel department have already circled a few tight-end cut candidates with other clubs, possibly including some undrafted rookies. Green Bay could also look out for options at safety and in the slot for similar reasons.
Whether the right undrafted rookie at one of those positions or another hits the waiver wire remains entirely out of the Packers’ control. However, their pre-draft visits could offer some insight into which players Gutekunst could target.
Regardless, Green Bay’s UDFA streak seems in genuine danger of snapping this year.
Clarity coming to both guard spots
JBH: Over the past week, it has grown increasingly clear which players have a viable path to starting at guard and, just as importantly, who doesn’t. Last Monday, The Leap laid out the case that Anthony Belton had “lost the inside track at right guard.” It now seems he won’t factor into that competition in any meaningful way.
During the preseason opener, Belton played 36 offensive snaps, all at right tackle. Meanwhile, Jacob Monk opened the game at right guard before later moving to center, allowing Donovan Jennings to backfill. Jager Burton, another option for the open job, played entirely at left guard. Even with starting right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele spending the night in street clothes, it seemed telling that the Packers didn’t give Belton any work inside.
If that didn’t paint a clear picture, head coach Matt LaFleur’s subsequent statements added some transparency. He didn’t refute that starting left guard Aaron Banks underwent a medical procedure between the offseason program and training camp when asked during a press conference, though the veteran lineman has since denied having surgery. Just as importantly, LaFleur strongly suggested that Burton or Monk could take Banks’ job.
“I think he’s going to make it extremely difficult,” LaFleur said of Burton potentially starting over Banks. “Jager has done a really good job. I think not only him, but Monk. [Banks] hasn’t been out there, so it’s hard to say.”
LaFleur bringing up Monk unprompted also seems telling. The Packers’ coaching staff has gone out of its way to praise the third-year pro. LaFleur has previously said that Monk “plays to the play style we want” and “shows that toughness, that grittiness, the strain.” OC Adam Stenavich praised the offensive lineman’s performance in camp, saying he “plays the game the right way.”
Since Belton’s demotion from the guard competition, Monk has effectively taken every meaningful rep at right guard with the No. 1 offense. And with Banks sidelined, Burton has done the same at left guard. That bifurcation appears intentional, not unlike how the Packers handled the two guard spots entering 2021 with Elgton Jenkins kicking out to left tackle, leaving Jon Runyan Jr. and Royce Newman to handle left and right guard, respectively.
Granted, Green Bay has worked Jennings at guard as well, and LaFleur praised the “edge that he plays with.” But a large gap currently exists between Jennings and either Burton or Monk, and an even larger gap between any of those three and Belton when it comes to playing along the interior. That latter notion became harder to ignore when starting left tackle Jordan Morgan briefly left practice and the team moved Belton to the blindside over John Williams. Until further notice, Belton has assumed the job of swing tackle, a key backup role but not a starting one.
At this stage, the focus has shifted from figuring out who will battle at right guard to whether Burton and Monk will open the regular season as the two starting guards. Banks presumably still has the inside track at left guard, but LaFleur and the coaching staff don’t appear to have much patience remaining. Even if Banks does return as the starter, his injury history suggests that Burton could usurp him in the coming months.
All of which will make the next two weeks fascinating and important. The Packers open the season with a matchup against the Minnesota Vikings and defensive madman (compliment) Brian Flores, a particularly difficult assignment for inexperienced offensive linemen. Ideally for Green Bay, the offense would go into that game with more than one combined start between its two guards, but that scenario seems very much on the table.