Packers Clearly Trust These Four Players More Than They Did Last Year

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For draft-and-develop teams like the Green Bay Packers, building a roster is mostly a two-pronged process.

The first is the draft. The second is – drum roll, please – develop.

As was nose-on-the-front-of-your-face obvious throughout the offseason practices, these four drafted players are about to play much bigger roles this season because of the trust gained through their development.

Here’s a closer look with the start of training camp a little more than a month away.

WR Matthew Golden

The Packers famously used their first-round pick last year on receiver Matthew Golden. The tens of thousands of fans gathered outside of Lambeau Field that night celebrated as if the team had just won a playoff game on a walk-off field goal.

After a promising start, though, Golden’s production dropped off a ledge. As Christian Watson and, later, Jayden Reed came back from injuries, Golden became buried on the depth chart. During the final 11 games, Golden played in eight and caught 11 passes for 112 yards. He had 10-plus receiving yards in only three.

However, Golden had a dynamic playoff game against Chicago. From there, general manager Brian Gutekunst let Romeo Doubs go in free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks. Suddenly, Golden went from No. 5 on the receiver depth chart to in the running to be No. 1 when the season kicks off because of his comfort in the offense and his obvious speed, route-running skill and excellent hands.

“A lot of opportunities,” Golden said following one of his solid offseason practices. “A lot of balls thrown to those two guys, obviously. My mindset going into Year 2 is make the most plays that I can. With the confidence I have now, I have no doubt whenever I step on the field, I’m going to be in attack mode.”

LT Jordan Morgan

The Packers used their first-round pick in 2024 on Arizona left tackle Jordan Morgan, then proceeded to play him practically everywhere but left tackle. Finally, in the pseudo-Week 18 bye against the Vikings last year, Morgan started at left tackle. It was the first regular-season snaps of his NFL career at his natural position.

“I think he was ready last training camp,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “I thought he had a really good training camp. I thought he was ready to go, and I think if we were to need him at any point in the season to play left tackle, we were very confident he could go there and play winning football.”

Perhaps, but the fact is the Packers didn’t play Morgan at left tackle. At all. In the quest to get their best five blockers on the field and because of Rasheed Walker’s lack of position flexibility, Walker got to keep the starting job at left tackle and Morgan was thrust into duty at the guard positions and right tackle.

It didn’t go well. Last year, he wound up losing the starting job at right guard to rookie Anthony Belton and didn’t play a snap on offense for three games until Zach Tom’s knee injury opened the door at right tackle.

Headed into 2026, Morgan is the no-doubt-about-it starter at left tackle. The team didn’t even take a flier on a project, let alone sign a veteran insurance policy. The Packers will sink or swim with him serving as Jordan Love’s blind-side protector.

“It feels good. It feels really good,” Morgan said. “I finally get the spot that I like, that they know I’m good at, and that they drafted me at. They drafted me as a tackle. So, I get to line up outside out there. And so I’m doing really good right now.”

C Sean Rhyan

It’s been a crazy four-plus years in the NFL for Rhyan.

A third-round pick in 2022, Rhyan played one snap on special teams in one game as a rookie, a season that ended with a suspension. During the second half of the 2023 season, he began splitting reps at guard with veteran Jon Runyan. In 2024, he started all 17 games but ceded playing time to first-round pick Jordan Morgan for several games.

In 2025, Rhyan won the starting job at right guard but lost it to Morgan. When Elgton Jenkins suffered a season-ending injury against Philadelphia, desperate times called for desperate measures. The coaches inserted Rhyan at center, a position he repped during training camp but never when it mattered, and never looked back.

The player who had been deemed replaceable the past couple seasons suddenly was considered irreplaceable. Based on seven regular-season starts, Rhyan on the eve of free agency signed a contract that made him seventh in annual pay among centers.

“Man, if you told me that I would be here with a second contract about a year ago, or even, you know, eight months, I would have said, yeah, you must have some crystal ball that I don't know about,” Rhyan said.

Edge Barryn Sorrell

Trust in the NFL is shown through actions, not words. With Micah Parsons set to miss the start of the season following his torn ACL, the Packers had some obvious issues to grapple with at the edge position. Rather than add to the depth chart, general manager Brian Gutekunst traded Rashan Gary to the Cowboys and let Kingsley Enagbare sign with the Jets.

Left unsaid: The Packers believe in Barryn Sorrell. So much that they essentially are handing him a starting job.

A fourth-round pick last year, Sorrell played 14-plus snaps in only two games as a rookie. But his work at practice and at the facility apparently was enough. In his one big opportunity, Week 18 at Minnesota, he was one of the best players on the field.

So, rather than a high-profile addition through free agency, the draft or a trade, the Packers’ only new face is fourth-round pick Dani Dennis-Sutton. Sorrell is poised to join Lukas Van Ness as the starters on the edge until Parsons returns to action.

“I’m always going to have my own internal motivation,” said Sorrell, who worked out this offseason with Parsons. “I really want to reach the best that Barryn Sorrell can be. That’s regardless of what situation is around me. That just starts with me. 

“Obviously, looking forward to the opportunity that’s in front of me. Really looking forward to maximizing it. I can’t wait for an opportunity like this. That definitely added motivation, as well, knowing I’m going to have the opportunity this year to play a lot.”

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Published Jun 22, 2026BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: [email protected] History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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