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The Green Bay Packers will have a new-look defense in 2026. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon was brought in to be the new defensive coordinator and several changes were made on the roster as well.
Rashan Gary was traded to the Dallas Cowboys and Javon Hargrave and Zaire Franklin were added in free agency. Any time new talent is brought in, it takes away spots from previous contributors.
As a result, Bill Huber of Packers On SI recently identified three notable Packers who could be traded ahead of Week 1. One of the players Huber mentioned has started 29 games over the last two seasons, but the defensive scheme change could make him expendable.
Packers could trade Isaiah McDuffie
Isaiah McDuffie came into the league as a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. It's safe to say McDuffie has exceeded expectations, as he's been a multi-year starter and has given the Packers some solid production.
However, Huber thinks the Packers would prefer to move on from McDuffie.
"The shift to Jonathan Gannon’s 3-4 defense means the Packers need only two off-the-ball linebackers on the field. That’s Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin," Huber explained. "McDuffie, who is playing under the final year of a two-year contract extension, has a base salary of $2.4 million for the upcoming season. Moving on would create almost $3.0 million of cap space."
In 2025, McDuffie played in 17 games with 12 starts and collected 92 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception. Pro Football Focus gave the veteran a solid 69.4 grade, which ranked 30th out of 88 qualified linebackers.
As Huber pointed out, the Packers are switching to a 3-4 defense, which means only two off-ball linebackers are needed at one time. With the addition of Franklin, that leaves McDuffie as the odd man out.
Of course, it's not a bad thing to have depth. Without McDuffie, 2024 third-round pick Ty'Ron Hopper would be the top backup, and he's only had more than 20 snaps in a game once in his NFL career.
It's unlikely the Packers would get more than a mid-to-late-round pick for McDuffie, though, so it may be smarter to just hold on to him for one more season.
Will Packers be good enough on defense?
Looking elsewhere on the Packers' defense, it's fair to question if this unit will be good enough in 2026. Star edge Micah Parsons will likely miss half the season, and the edge rusher depth around him leaves much to be desired.
In the secondary, the Packers seem content to rely heavily on Brandon Cisse as a rookie and new addition Benjamin St. Juste. The team will also adjust to life without Rashan Gary on the line, so there's no doubt this unit will be different. Different doesn't necessarily mean bad, though, so we'll have to see how the unit looks in September.
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