Packers Discussion: What system do you want Green Bay’s defense to play in 2026?

Shoutout to captainlou10 from the comment section for the inspiration for this discussion post. He asked a great question on Tuesday night: If all potential DCs were equal, what type of defensivesystembest suits our current personnel?"

Here's how I feel about the situation:

We already don't have enough quality interior defensive linemen to run a 4-3 defense that isn't on the field for 15-play drives, so the last thing I want to do is play a 3-4 defense (Lukas Van Ness would probably be a 3-4 outside linebacker, like he was under Joe Barry) with the current roster construction. I think this team needs to live in the four-down world.

That, to me, is the baseline answer, at least for the front. In a 4-3 defense, here's what the 2026 Packers would look like (assuming that defensive end Rashan Gary is released for cap relief and that linebacker Quay Walker leaves in free agency):

• DE: Micah Parsons and Lukas Van Ness
• 3T: Devonte Wyatt
• NT: Please take someone in the second round
• Mike: Isaiah McDuffie
• Will: Edgerrin Cooper
• Sam: Ty'Ron Hopper
• CB: Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs/Carrington Valentine
• S: Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams
• Slot: Javon Bullard

There are a couple of things I want to point out here (I know you're already all screaming about the cornerbacks). First of all, the Packers have to come out of this offseason with a better starter at nose tackle. I gave the team one in my first mock offseason of the year with Green Bay's only top-80 selection in the draft.

Ideally, I think Ty'Ron Hopper would be the team's best long-term bet at Mike linebacker, even though he had a rough stretch when we got an extended look at him in Week 18 versus the Minnesota Vikings, because of his athletic upside. With that being said, the team has given Isaiah McDuffie that nod ahead of Hopper whenever the opportunity to replace Walker has come up.

Worth noting: McDuffie was coached in college by current Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan. If my life were up to it, I would guess that McDuffie would be Green Bay's starting Mike linebacker in Week 1 of 2026, and that Hopper would backfill in the team's third-linebacker role (which McDuffie has previously played).

I think that Keisean Nixon will start in 2026 and that the team will make Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine compete for the other outside cornerback spot. The veteran cornerback market is around $18 million per year for an average starter right now, for second-contract players (the only types of free agents that Green Bay really ever brings in). I simply can't imagine the Packers paying that much with their current cap position. It would probably take a Day 2 selection at the position to push either Hobbs or Valentine off their spot in a camp competition, and historically, Green Bay likes to keep rookies off the field. For reference, even their first-round picks only start an average of six games per year - a third of the season, including as injury replacements - over the last two decades. I just wouldn't bet on it.

With a linebacker combo of Edgerrin Cooper and McDuffie, you probably want to blitz more, but blitzing puts whoever wins the Hobbs-Valentine job at cornerback at risk, too. On top of that, blitzing makes little sense when teams are just trying to run the ball and get the ball out quickly in the passing game because of Micah Parsons, which is why former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley didn't run as many pressures in 2025 as he did in 2024.

It's a tough call with the nose tackle, Mike linebacker and cornerback situation we're in. What do you guys think?

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