Wednesday Cheese Curds: Packers banking on internal improvement again
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 10: Jordan Morgan #77 of the Green Bay Packers runs across the field during an NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesStop me if you've heard this one before, but the Packers are going to need a lot of internal growth to reach their full potential this year.
Yes, that's the case for every team, and yes, that's often the case for the Packers, but it seems to especially be the case this year. The Packers are still in the wake of their last big move: the Micah Parsons trade. They ponied up two firsts and a massive contract. That essentially took care of anything we could really classify as a big swing for the recent past and immediate future.
That leaves the Packers making more of what we could call roster tweaks than wholesale overhauls, banking on the growth of what they've already got than new influxes of talent. And, for the most part, that means leaning on their most high profile acquisitions: recent first round picks.
Devonte Wyatt. Lukas Van Ness. Jordan Morgan. Matthew Golden. All four of these players are looking at bigger, or at the very least higher profile, roles in 2026. And the Packers will be counting on them to succeed. If the Packers' defensive front is to thrive under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, they'll need Wyatt and Van Ness to step up. If Jordan Love is going to be the best he can be, he'll need protection from Morgan and plenty of production from Golden.
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone with two eyes and half a brain for football. But obvious things are sometimes obvious because they're important. And in an era where the Packers went all in with one big move, the obvious needs elsewhere become all the more critical.
Spotlight will shine on Packers' recent first-round picks in 2026 | Packers Wire
There's a fun irony to the Packers needing more out of their first round picks in a year when they didn't make any.
Six Things on Packers' Wish List When NFL Schedule Is Revealed | Sports illustrated
What's on yours?
Romeo also made it pretty clear he is grateful for his time in Green Bay.
Accelerator candidates lose key owner interactions after NFL meeting schedule change | CBS Sports
This is the sort of tiny action that reinforces the very good ol' boy network the NFL is trying to undo a bit.
Packers fans take stand on standing at Lambeau Field and crowd noise | Packers News
People out there really think the crowd noise is too loud on the TV broadcast?
British sailor takes another shot at Atlantic Ocean tiny boat crossing | UPI
He calls his 3-foot, 10-inch boat a micro yacht," which is one way to spin it.