The Packers don’t need their depth players to be stars. They just need them ready when the moment lands in their lap. And with the 2026 regular season approaching, a few names buried down the roster suddenly look a lot more interesting.
Josh Whyle is the clearest example. Green Bay’s tight end group is thin behind Tucker Kraft, who returned to 11-on-11 drills on Sunday and looks on track to be the starter in week one, still three-and-a-half weeks away. Luke Musgrave remains on the PUP list with a mysterious neck injury, and that leaves Whyle sitting in the top backup spot.
Whyle has spent most of his Packers time in the H position, the move tight end role that lines up on the wing or in the backfield. But the circumstances around him are changing fast.
Musgrave has usually backed up Kraft at the Y, and Kraft said after Sunday’s practice that he’ll be on a bit of a restricted snap count. If that holds, Whyle becomes the next man up.
That’s not a foreign spot for him. He’s been working with the starting offense all summer, building chemistry with Jordan Love and the rest of the unit.
He also has real game experience from his time with the Titans, when he was on the field for nearly 350 offensive snaps in 2024 and finished with 28 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown. If Kraft ends up closer to two-thirds of the offensive snaps than his usual 90 percent, that leaves about 20 extra snaps per game for someone else.
Right now, Whyle looks like the guy.
Kitan Oladapo is in a similar position, only his path to playing time runs through the secondary. Johnathan Baldwin’s training camp injury created a hole behind Javon Bullard, who has locked down the starting nickel role. Baldwin had been Bullard’s backup through the first two weeks of camp, and now Oladapo appears to be taking over that job.
The wrinkle is that Oladapo isn’t built exactly like Bullard. Both are safeties by trade, but Oladapo had barely worked in the slot before the Packers drafted him, with only a few dime-package reps there last year.
He’s a bigger, more physical safety with solid but not elite movement skills, while Bullard brought an elite 3.97-second short shuttle time into the league. That difference matters, because Bullard’s spot is one of the most delicate on the field.
If he misses time, the Packers need someone who can survive there.
Oladapo may also be the next safety up if injuries hit anywhere else in that room. The Packers are likely to use Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, and Javon Bullard on at least half of their defensive snaps this season, and if any one of them gets hurt, Oladapo should be the first call.
Then there’s Donovan Jennings, who has been waiting quietly while the Packers sort through a messy offensive line situation. Aaron Banks keeps popping in and out of the lineup with injuries.
Anthony Belton is still searching for a settled home. Right guard is open in a competition that likely includes Jacob Monk and Jager Burton.
Jennings hasn’t made the noise those players have, but he’s still in the mix for a useful depth role.
Green Bay signed Jennings as an undrafted free agent out of South Florida in 2024, and he spent his rookie year on the practice squad. Last season he made the 53-man roster as the team’s 10th offensive lineman, though he barely saw the field: two games, 13 snaps total, with six on offense and seven on special teams.
That kind of slow build is familiar in Green Bay. Yosh Nijman and Lucas Patrick both followed a similar early path before turning into multi-year starters.
Jennings may not be chasing a starting job in 2026, but he did line up at right guard with the #2 line last Thursday in Pittsburgh, and he looks like a possible backup at multiple interior spots. If the Packers get hit by injuries, he could end up closing out games or even making a few spot starts.
In Other News...
Packers Guard Battle Took Shape With One Early Preseason Warning
The Packers guard competition is already taking on shape in August, and the early signs have been mixed. Rookie Jager Burton and third-year lineman Jacob Monk both got turns with the first group in team drills and again in a preseason game, giving Green Bay a real look at how each might fit if the job becomes available.
Monks night was especially revealing because of the way the line kept shifting around him, while Burton was trying to make his own case in live action. Neither player delivered the kind of clean, decisive outing that settles a battle this early, and the Packers now have at least one preseason warning to sort through before the evaluation gets any tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Could Face An Unexpected Roster Twist From NCAA Lawsuit
A new NCAA eligibility fight could end up creating an odd kind of roster ripple for NFL teams, including the Packers, as some members of the 2022 college class explore whether they can reclaim another year in school after the NCAA approved a five-year eligibility agreement. The first official case centers on former LSU player Jack Byburn, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but could head back to college football if he is released and the courts give the green light.
For Green Bay, the wrinkle is less about the headline names and more about the possibility that roster plans could get nudged by players suddenly weighing college over the pros. A Louisiana lawsuit involving 33 athletes has already put the issue on a bigger stage, and with other players getting temporary legal protection, the Packers have at least one more off-the-field variable to monitor as camp decisions start to matter more. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Rookie Absence At Camp Just Took A More Concerning Turn
The Packers Wednesday injury report offered another reminder that training camp can turn quickly from routine to worrisome, especially for a rookie trying to make a first impression. Green Bay listed players on the Physically Unable to Perform list and others who did not practice, and the attention naturally fell on edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, whose recent absence had already made him a player to monitor as the preseason and regular season calendars keep moving.
Matt LaFleur offered the first real explanation for Dennis-Suttons missed time, saying the rookie was dealing with overheating and then an illness rather than anything tied to conditioning. The update helps narrow the focus for a player whose camp availability has become a point of concern, even if the full picture around his early August setback still leaves one important question hanging for the Packers as they work through the rest of practice. [Read more 🡒]