Not everyone is a fan of the Green Bay Packers’ approach to the 2026 offseason. Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus recently handed out grades for all 32 teams, analyzing all of the “major” moves they’ve made this free agency period. McGuinness gave the Packers a D, which was the lowest grade.
Green Bay kicked things off by trading defensive tackle Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for linebacker Zaire Franklin. The move made sense for the Packers because Colby was entering the final year of his rookie contract and wasn’t going to be re-signed.
However, Franklin is coming off the lowest-graded season of his career, according to PFF. Out of the 64 linebackers who played at least 500 defensive snaps last season, Franklin had the worst grade. Green Bay hopes Franklin can get back to playing at the level he was in 2024 when he was named a Pro Bowler and led the league in tackles. That might be a tall order, though, especially with Franklin set to turn 30 in July.
The Packers’ ability to trade Rashan Gary for a future draft pick should be considered a home run when they were going to release him anyway. The Dallas Cowboys sent a 2027 fourth-round pick for the former top-15 pick, who never eclipsed double-digit sacks during his seven seasons in Green Bay. While Gary has never lived up to his billing, he has shown improvement in his run defense and is still an impactful pass rusher.
“Gary’s PFF pass-rush grade has dropped consistently in each of the past four seasons, so the Cowboys are unlikely to be acquiring a major pass-rush threat,” McGuinness wrote. “However, he has remained an above-average run defender and still racked up 60 quarterback pressures last season.”
Coming off a season plagued by inconsistency at cornerback, the position was an obvious area in need of reinforcements. So, the Packers went out and signed former Los Angeles Chargers corner Benjamin St-Juste to a two-year, $10 million contract.
After three years of struggling as a starter with the Washington Commanders, St-Juste performed much better in a reserve role for the Chargers. He earned a career-high 77.8 PFF coverage grade and was also the highest graded cornerback in zone coverage last year.
The Packers already parted ways with Nate Hobbs after one season and are hoping to get more out of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine in 2026. At the very least, St-Juste should be a solid depth piece and special teams contributor.
Hours after his release, Green Bay reunited defensive tackle Javon Hargrave with his former defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon. With Gannon as his coordinator, Hargrave racked up 123 combined tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 18.5 sacks from 2021-2022.
That production helped Hargrave earn two sizable contracts from the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, both franchises jumped ship due to underwhelming results. As a player, Hargrave still has something to offer as a pass rusher, but his run defense has deteriorated over the years.
“The 33-year-old recorded a 12.4% pass-rush win rate and 31 pressures in 2025, but his PFF run-defense grade fell below 58.0 for the sixth consecutive season,” wrote McGuinness.
Objectively, you can make a case that all three acquisitions by the Packers are rooted more in hope than certainty. Green Bay hopes an aging Franklin can get back to playing at a Pro Bowl level, St-Juste can continue to thrive in a backup role, and that Hargrave’s reunion with Gannon will allow him to finish his career strong as he enters Year 11.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers receive league-low PFF grade for 2026 free agency moves
Reporting by Brandon Carwile, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
