Packers Core Coming Into Focus

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Core is Clear: Packers Know Their Group

Many outsiders viewed the Green Bay Packers' trade of wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a sixth-round pick in 2027 as a straightforward depth move. The underlying reality, however, is far more strategic I believe: this transaction is a purposeful move to center the offense around the players the Packers see as their long-term investment.

There are stories and agendas you can create out of any move a team makes; however, this one shows the Packers confidence in their identity for the next several seasons.

Even after losing Romeo Doubs to free agency, the Packers' receiving room was crowded going into 2026. Six receivers—Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, and Wicks himself.

The move indicates the core is clear. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft are cornerstones of the Packers offense.

After many years of debating who will be the WR1 for Green Bay, with unknown players notably unhappy with their roles with so many mouths to feed. A move like this allows a chance for more targets to each. Only injuries have halted Tucker Kraft's meteoric growth, and he is now well-positioned for a breakthrough.

By relocating Wicks, the Packers also give Matthew Golden, a player the team obviously sees as a future star, a starting-caliber job. Savion Williams, a third-round selection who would have been buried as a WR5, needs substantial snaps.

Jayden Reed isn’t just another piece in the Packers’ offense; he’s one of the engines that makes the entire system go. Don’t forget, Green Bay came out this past season guns a blazing, the offense was ready to roll. Reed would go down week 2, and his presence was clearly missed.

The numbers, the versatility, and the way coaches deploy him all point to the same conclusion: Reed is a central pillar of what Green Bay wants to be on offense.

Teams commit to their core in this way: they prioritize and make room for them. Make no mistake, Wicks showed flashes of the player he could be, but with his rookie contract ending, the Packers elected to do a very common Packers move by departing with him.

The flashes were only that, flashes. Only 30 receptions on non-starter number of snaps, it is obvious that Wicks was not in the vision for the future of the Packers offense.

There is a clear indication of cleaning up the Packers both on and off the field following such a disappointing end to the season. The focus also appears to be directed at identifying the key members that make the green and gold run. Perhaps pressure makes perfect for these specific pieces.

Packers trade Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles

The Packers’ wide receiver room has undergone a shakeup, with Dontayvion Wicks traded to to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder, while Wicks is set to receive a one-year, $12.5 million extension.

From a roster-building standpoint, the Packers are turning a young, productive player into future draft capital while maintaining financial flexibility. The Packers clear $2.6 million in cap space and now sit comfortably under the cap, with additional picks to continue fueling a roster built through the draft.

Wicks leaves behind a solid résumé in Green Bay, hauling in 108 receptions for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns across three seasons. His Thanksgiving performance against Detroit stands out as a defining moment, showcasing his ability to deliver in clutch situations.

But the bigger story is what this means for the offense moving forward. With Romeo Doubs also gone, opportunities abound. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed headline the group, while 2025 draft pick Matthew Golden and second-year receiver Savion Williams are primed for expanded roles.

Packers Trade of Wicks Changes Draft Importance for Wide Receiver

Last week, the Green Bay Packers traded fourth-year wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles for two future Day 3 draft picks. With the trade of Wicks, the Packers depth chart at wide receiver started to take shape. Projected starters are Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed. The top backups are last year’s third round pick Savion Williams and free agent acquisition Skyy Moore. If a 53-man roster was to be selected today, the 6th wide receiever would likely be veteran Bo Melton. With the departure of Wicks, this also opens a need in the draft for a wide receiver. For a long time, dating back to the early tenure of general manager Ron Wolf, the Packers have been one of the best franchises at drafting and developing wide receivers.

Since Brian Gutekunst took over as the decision maker on draft day, the importance of wide receiver has had some ups and downs. In 2018, Gutekunst drafted three wide receivers but then didn’t draft the position in 2019 and 2020, which led to drafting multiple wide receivers in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Overall, Gutekunst has taken 12 wide receivers in eight drafts.

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Inside the Packers’ Draft Process: How Brian Gutekunst Builds His Board

What really goes into a Green Bay Packers draft class? CHTV NFL Draft analyst Newt Westen welcomes in CHTV Draft Guide contributor Brian Maafi as the two zoom out from individual prospects and take a bigger-picture look at Brian Gutekunst’s overall draft process.

One Draft Prospect To Keep An Eye On At Each Defensive Position

The draft is right around the corner, and despite not having a first-round pick, the Packers are in a great position to improve a roster that’s experienced, talented, and deep. The defense hasn’t seen a ton of turnover amongst their starters, but they have several needs they’ll want to address over the next month, namely along the defensive line and at cornerback. Xavier McKinney and Edgerrin Cooper both return to lead a defense that’s performed pretty well over the last couple of seasons, and at some point, the team will get back Micah Parsons.

No one knows what kind of defense new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will run in Green Bay, but he has most of the ingredients to have an above-average unit. He’s still missing a few key pieces, though. The Packers can’t go into the season without adding more talent to their defensive line or cornerback groups. They also could really use more depth at the edge position. While many of the pieces are in place, they need a couple more to be a strong defensive unit.

Brian Gutekunst has shown he will take the best player available, regardless of position. That means he won't shy away from taking a player at a position of strength, despite only having seven draft picks. The purpose of this piece is to outline several draft prospects, one at each defensive position, that should be on every Packer fan’s radar. That doesn’t mean the Packers will acquire them all, but they are bound to be on the Packers’ draft board, and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see any of them drafted.

Here are six prospects who could be wearing the green and gold in just a few short weeks.

How Early Packers Could Take Each Position in 2026 NFL Draft

Each year we try to guess which round would be the earliest the Packers would pull the trigger on a certain position.

Wide receiver - Round 2 The Packers went big at receiver last year, with two of their first three picks spent there, but those two players, Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, are the only two under contract for 2027. Even if Christian Watson re-signs – which he surely will – that’s only three. You can never have enough weapons, and after trading Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay may be in the market for another. Prospects who could interest them as early include Louisville’s Chris Bell, Alabama’s Germie Bernard and Georgia State’s Ted Hurst, who has been in for a 30 visit.

Tight end - Round 3 Maybe there is a world where the Packers break from type a little bit on size and shock everyone by drafting Vanderbilt speedster Eli Stowers in round two, but more likely the first serious option for them is Georgia’s Oscar Delp, who is 89th on the consensus board. Other than that, there look to be plenty of their traditional type available on day three. With Tucker Kraft entrenched as one of the pillars of their offense, it makes more sense to use a pick later rather than earlier. One name to watch: Dallen Bentley from Utah.

Be sure to check out the entire position rundown.

NFL’s Embrace of Streaming Should Make Fans Uneasy

“Show me the money!”

You can hear it being shouted from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he looks to rake in even more money in broadcast fees.

The NFL’s growing embrace of streaming should make fans uneasy — not because change is inherently bad, but because of who ultimately pays for it.

For decades, watching football in America was relatively simple. Turn on the tube, find the game and settle in. Even as cable and satellite expanded the landscape, the core experience remained widely accessible. That accessibility wasn’t accidental; it was reinforced by policy choices and business decisions that prioritized reach. The league understood a basic truth: the broader the audience, the stronger the sport’s cultural grip. Think of it this way, the largest audience for a non Super Bowl game was the 2025 Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving clash on CBS. Yes, I know that Thanksgiving is a rite of passage. There’s just something about enormous amounts of gravy and football that make for a complete day.

But — the other half of the equation was the game was easy to find. Today, that model is under pressure as the NFL leans further into streaming deals that promise massive revenue but risk fracturing the viewing experience.

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Do You Prefer Your Drafts Hamburger Or Hotdog Style?

With less than two weeks to go until the NFL Draft, the draft strategy for the Green Bay Packers is becoming simultaneously clearer and murkier. It’s an impressive needle to thread, but give it up for one of the most secretive and unique front offices in the league to pull it off.

It’s becoming a bit clearer because, as a whole, there is no clear cut “priority need.”

Entering the free agency period, the Packers had three clear cut, obvious needs: interior offensive line, cornerback, and defensive tackle. Well, the Packers have made clear additions to all three of those rooms, with two starters and one who will surely compete to start. Javon Hargrave is a plug and play no matter where the Packers decide to utilize him, and Sean Rhyan will get the chance to build on his performance at center. Benjamin St-Juste, as a bigger corner, might have the inside track to major playing time with incoming DC Johnathan Gannon (if only we could actually ask him, right? Maybe in a big room, surrounded by Packers reporters. They should get on that.)

So, the major fires have all been somewhat put out, although general needs remain at each spot. The Packers should cover their butts by taking a developmental center prospect. There is still a clear need to infuse some youth and upside into the cornerback room. And Green Bay will need to find a true nose tackle to cover up their run defense deficiencies, especially with all signs pointing towards a return to a 3-4 base defense next season.

On the other hand, a couple new positions of need have actually reared their ugly head a bit more. This is where things start to get a little more cloudy. Having a lot of positions on the roster that could use an exciting new prospect means there are tons of possibilities.

Join us as we deeply overthink the Packers' long term strategy.

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Packers of the Past: Much-Maligned Randy Wright

Some Packers fans rooted hard for him. Others hated him.

Whatever your stance may be, the truth is former Green Bay Packers quarterback Randy Wright didn’t exactly have a good situation in Green Bay. And he was never one of those types of athletic and cerebral quarterbacks who could will his team to win.

Not that he had much of a team.

In 1986, his lone year as the unquestioned starter, Wright threw for 3,247 yards, with 17 touchdowns and (gulp) 23 interceptions. Let’s face it, it was easier to live with interceptions when it was Brett Favre throwing them. But we digress.

Drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft, the former Wisconsin quarterback came to the team presumptively to be the backup to Lynn Dickey, who had a prolific career in green and gold, even if there wasn’t a lot of winning involved. But Dickey spent a lot of time on the training table, so Wright got some playing time and spot starts his first two seasons. At times, he would come off the bench and move the ball. He showed enough that then-head coach Forrest Gregg anointed Wright the starter for that 1986 season, only to see the Packers go 4-12. Yuck.

One of the knocks on Wright during his playing days, besides his lack of superior skills, was that he wasn’t necessarily well liked by all of his teammates or the media.

Cliff Christl, who covered the team at the time, recalls that he wrote a highly critical story about the quarterback in 1988, after the Packers went 0-5 to start the season with Wright at the helm. It was clear Wright had lost the team, and he soon was benched in favor of Don Majkowski. Christl even said Head Coach Lindy Infante pulled him aside and told him he’d made it impossible for him to go back to Wright as the starter.

In any case, it spelled the end. Wright would be cut before the 1989 season and his NFL career was over. He got over it, though – he did some broadcasting for Big 10 Football and also started what became a successful business in retirement.

For the record, one of our contributors still has their Randy Wright jersey that they purchased in 1987. Still fits too.

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