One word perfectly encapsulates Green Bay Packers' offseason

One word perfectly encapsulates Green Bay Packers' offseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Green Bay Packers are coming off another season that ended sooner than they expected it to.

As a result, some might have expected the team to make a bold move or two this offseason. However, in typical Packers fashion, the team mostly opted for a lowkey offseason with moves on the fringes.

In free agency, Javon Hargrave and Zaire Franklin were added on defense, while Skyy Moore and Tyrod Taylor were added on offense. That's about where the additions end, and the team also didn't have a first-round pick in the 2026 draft.

Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports recently identified one word that describes each team's offseason. For the Packers, Pereles landed on the word "development," which is certainly fair considering it seems obvious the team is relying on internal development.

Regarding the Packers' moves, Pereles offered the following:

The Packers, with no first-round pick and limited financial flexibility, are betting on internal improvements. That's not a bad thing. This was a 9-3-1 team before Micah Parsons' injury. When Parsons and Devonte Wyatt, who also got hurt late in the year, were on the field, the Packers were a top-five defense (based on success rate). When they weren't on the field, the Packers had the worst defensive success rate in the NFL. Getting those two (and, on offense, Tucker Kraft) back is a vital first step.

As Pereles mentioned, Parsons, Wyatt, and Kraft are three of the most important players on the team, and they all missed significant time in 2025. Therefore, it's not the wildest idea to assume the team will be fine once everybody is healthy.

However, Pereles pointed to another player who best defines "development"- Brandon Cisse.

Cisse was the Packers' second-round pick this year, and he should immediately play a role on the defense.

"On defense, can the explosive Cisse be an immediate contributor?" Pereles asks. "The Packers struggled to force turnovers last year and need some juice in the secondary."

If Cisse IS an immediate contributor, paired with the veterans getting healthy, then it's not hard to be optimistic about the Packers' chances. However, relying heavily on a second-round pick is usually not the best idea, especially in the NFL where nothing is guaranteed.

Regardless, this seems like the route the Packers are willing to go. Barring an extremely unlikely summer trade for a star like A.J. Brown or Maxx Crosby, this is what the roster will look like in Week 1. Will that be enough to final get over the Wild Card hump again? Only time will tell.

More NFL news:

• Is Carnell Tate going to be a WR1 for the Titans?
• Will the Cardinals give up on Carson Beck quickly?
• Jets get good and bad news regarding the 2027 draft
• One analyst loved what the Cowboys did in 2026 draft
• Vikings roasted for questionable 2026 draft
• Jaguars, James Gladstone's 2026 draft graded harshly