The Packers are heading into the opener with a major hole in the backfield, and that could reshape everything about how Jordan Love is asked to run the offense.
Josh Jacobs has been placed on the Commissioner’s exempt list, which means he cannot practice or play until further notice. On the other side of the ball, Micah Parsons is still working back from the ACL injury he suffered last season and is targeting Week 6 for a possible return.
That combination leaves Green Bay shorthanded in two crucial spots, but Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber sees a chance for Love to turn the situation into something bigger.
“Statistically, Love could have a tremendous year - even an MVP-caliber year (he’s only 13th in the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook) - because some of the goal-line runs by Jacobs will become passes by Love,” Huber wrote.
Love has long been one of the league’s more debated quarterbacks. The arm talent is obvious, but the inconsistency has shown up too, and Matt LaFleur’s conservative play calling has often kept him on a tight leash.
That may not be the case now. With no clear answer in the running game, LaFleur may have to lean harder into a more aggressive approach. Love has the kind of gunslinger mentality that fits that shift, and he’s earned a little more room to operate.
With their star pass rusher also sidelined for now, the Packers may need to win by putting points on the board and keeping up with whoever’s across from them.
It has been a while since Green Bay had an MVP-caliber quarterback behind center, but Love has a real path to that kind of season if the offense gives him the freedom to carry it. If he can keep the undermanned Packers in the mix early in the year, especially in a loaded NFC North, it would only strengthen his case.
In Other News...
Packers Practice Squad Move Hints At A Bigger Offensive Plan
The Packers filled their final practice-squad opening by signing rookie running back Damon Bankston, a move that fits neatly with the kind of backfield they seem to be building. Bankston first came through Green Bay as a pre-draft visitor, then landed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent before making his way back to the Packers, where his skill set lines up with an offense leaning into outside zone concepts.
For a team continuing to shape both its roster and its scheme, the addition is more than simple depth. Green Bay has been piecing together personnel that makes sense for what it wants to do on offense, and Bankstons fit in that system is hard to miss. Whether the move is mostly about competition, development, or something bigger in the playbook, it adds another clue about the direction the Packers are heading. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Rookie Trust Will Be Tested Right Away Against The Vikings
The Packers are heading into their 2026 season opener against the Vikings with an unusually heavy dose of rookie responsibility baked into the plan. Without a Day 1 draft pick in this class, Green Bay will need its younger additions to fill in more than just the margins, and that makes the early season evaluation especially important for a team that wants to know quickly which newcomers can handle real work.
J. Michael Sturdivant is part of that picture after making the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie wide receiver, but his immediate role against Minnesota is expected to be limited. Even so, his presence on the roster underscores how much the Packers are leaning on unproven talent right out of the gate, with the opener offering an early look at which rookies are ready when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Have An Early Opportunity Fans Couldn't Count On Last Year
The Packers are heading into 2026 with something they did not always have a year ago: a healthier roster and a better chance to settle in before the schedule tightens. Most of the group has been on the field in practice ahead of Week 1, with Warren Brinson and Micah Parsons among the few exceptions as Parsons continues his recovery from injury. That alone gives Green Bay a different kind of runway entering the season, especially compared with the constant juggling act of the previous year.
The early slate also looks more forgiving than what this team has had to navigate in other seasons, and that matters for a club trying to build momentum quickly. When the offense under Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love has had its core available, it has shown a steadier level of play, which is part of why there is some quiet confidence around this group. If the Packers can take advantage of this opening stretch, they could spend a lot less time surviving and a lot more time proving they belong in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]