The Green Bay Packers are heading toward the 2026 season with a few major injury questions, but the outlook on their biggest names sounds more encouraging than alarming.
Dr. Jesse Morse, a board-certified sports and family medicine doctor and the founder of The Injury Expertz, joined the Packers Roundtable Podcast to break down where things stand for Green Bay’s injured players. Morse, who has been practicing medicine since the early 2000s, has built a reputation online as a go-to voice on major injuries.
At the top of the list is Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL on December 14th last season. With a standard ACL recovery window of 6-9 months after surgery, Parsons is expected to make his first appearance of the 2026 season around Week 6 or Week 7, which would land in early October.
That timeline fits with how the Packers usually operate. Green Bay has long taken a cautious approach to injuries, often leaning toward protecting the player rather than rushing anyone back.
In Parsons’ case, that makes even more sense. He matters more in November, December and January than he does in September.
Tucker Kraft is on a similar path, though his situation comes with a different set of physical demands. His injury happened nearly six weeks before Parsons’ ACL tear, which helps explain why his return lines up for Week 1.
Even so, tight end and defensive end are not the same kind of grind, and Kraft’s workload can be managed early if needed. The expectation is that he could be available for the opener in a limited role.
That still leaves room for optimism, especially for fantasy managers looking for value. Kraft, according to the doctor’s view, could be a worthwhile pickup.
Morse also addressed soft tissue injuries, with Christian Watson serving as the clearest example. Those injuries can be especially tricky for elite NFL athletes, who are already pushing their bodies to the edge. One wrong movement can turn into a problem that lingers.
Watson has dealt with hamstring issues throughout the early part of his career, and that’s the kind of thing that can hang around. Still, Morse said Watson has done the work to try to keep those problems out of his game.
The overall message is pretty straightforward: the Packers’ biggest injuries from 2025 should not carry over as major obstacles in 2026. Kraft and Parsons are both expected to be fully healthy when they get back on the field. After that, Green Bay will move on to the next injury challenge, because as the doctor put it, it is inevitable.
In Other News...
Jordan Love And A Few Surprise Packers Are Turning Heads Early
The first week of Packers training camp has already produced a few early camp storylines worth watching, and a couple of the youngest names on the roster have pushed themselves into the conversation. Matthew Golden and Christian Watson have looked like the most intriguing boundary options so far, giving Green Bay something to evaluate on the outside while Jordan Love has opened camp with sharp ball placement and better command of the offense, including a more visible willingness to use his legs.
J. Michael Sturdivant has also flashed enough to turn heads, even if the inconsistency has kept the picture from getting too clean just yet. The rookie wideout has the kind of talent that can put him in the 53-man roster mix, but the drops remain a real issue as the Packers keep sorting through the bottom of the receiver room, with key pieces like Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons still not fully in the full-speed mix. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Face A Huge Pass Rush Debate As Crosby Buzz Builds
The Packers pass rush has become one of those topics that keeps circling back because the fit is obvious and the price is not. Adding Maxx Crosby would instantly change the look of Green Bays front, especially alongside Micah Parsons and Lukas Van Ness, but any serious pursuit would have to weigh what it means for a defense trying to build more than just a splashy edge-rushing trio.
Even without an official trade report, the conversation has already drifted into the uncomfortable part for Green Bay: what kind of assets it would take to get a player of Crosbys caliber and whether the team wants to push that kind of chip stack into the middle of the table. Health concerns only make the calculation trickier, and for now the Packers are left staring at a premium-name possibility without any clear sign the debate is close to being settled. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Still Have One Clear Favorite At No 28
There are plenty of Packers players who have worn No. 28 over the years, but the conversation keeps circling back to Willie Buchanon. The cornerback arrived in Green Bay and quickly became one of the franchises standout defenders, a rare player who checked off accolades the way few others at that number ever have. He remains the only Packers player to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and his run of recognition included two Pro Bowl selections and a league lead in interceptions in 1978.
Buchanons place in team history has only hardened with time, helped along by his 1993 induction into the Packers Hall of Fame. Other names have worn the number, including AJ Dillon and Mike Michalske, but none have built the same rsum or left the same imprint on the defensive side of the ball. For Packers fans sorting through the best to ever wear No. 28, the answer still comes back to the same familiar name. [Read more 🡒]