Change is inevitable in the NFL. Each season, players come and go, and new players take their role in the lineup. The Green Bay Packers are no exception. Here is a look at five Packers players who have a realistic chance to play a bigger role on the team in 2025. Players who are not presently under contract or are already established starters but missed time due to injury are not included on this list.
Packers Player Who Could Have a Bigger Role Number 5: LB Ty’Ron Hopper
Third round pick Ty’Ron Hopper played all 17 games for the Packers in his rookie season but only played 18 snaps on defense. The Packers loved Hopper’s athleticism, but they brought him along slowly as he learned the defense and adjusted to the NFL.
Hopper made nine tackles in his rookie season. Most of them came on special teams.
Both Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson will be unrestricted free agents this offseason. That gives Hopper an opportunity to step up and claim one of the starting jobs at linebacker in 2025 alongside Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper.
The Packers hope to see Hopper take a big step forward in his second NFL season.
Number 4: DE Brenton Cox
Before the Packers traded veteran Preston Smith at the trade deadline, second-year man Brenton Cox didn’t see the field at all. But in the final seven games, he recorded four sacks, seven quarterback hits and forced one fumble.
The Packers signed Cox as an undrafted free agent before the 2023 season. He had enough talent to be an early round pick, but off the field issues caused him to go undrafted. In two years in Green Bay, he has shown his talent on the field and his previous off the field issues have not been a factor.
In the final seven games of 2024, Cox played 35 percent of the team’s defensive snaps as part of the defensive end rotation. The Packers believe he can earn a bigger role in 2025 and possibly even a starting job if he takes a substantial third-year jump.
Packers Player Who Could Have a Bigger Role Number 3: TE Luke Musgrave
Luke Musgrave needs to stay healthy to carve out a bigger role in the offense in 2025. The former Oregon State star played just seven games and caught seven passes for 45 yards last season.
Tucker Kraft won the starting tight end job from Musgrave in training camp last year. Kraft enjoyed a productive season and became a reliable checkdown receiver who can gain yards after the catch and turn a short pass into a respectable gain by breaking tackles.
Musgrave has more speed and can become a useful downfield weapon in 2025, even if Kraft continues to start and get more reps. With Christian Watson likely to miss a sizeable chunk of the upcoming season, Kraft hopes to create a larger role for himself next season if he can just stay healthy and on the field.
Number Two: RB MarShawn Lloyd
The Packers front office and coaching staff were very high on running back MarShawn Lloyd when they selected him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Even after the season, head coach Matt LaFleur was excited about what the former USC star could add to the offense.
“You could see his explosiveness on tape,” LaFleur told Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “He would definitely add a dynamic to that room and that position. Any time you can create matchup problems in the passing game, that’s huge for you. He’s got a lot of explosive ability.”
The inside running of starter Josh Jacobs complimented by the explosiveness of Lloyd could give the Packers a dynamic one-two punch at running back. The Pack could also bring back one or both of the effective backup duo of Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks.
Unfortunately, injuries plagued Lloyd throughout his rookie year, starting with training camp. He gained only 15 yards on six carries and caught one pass for three yards while playing in the Packers win over the Colts in Week 2. Unfortunately, Lloyd missed the rest of the season due to additional injuries.
If he can stay healthy and play up to expectations, he could make a noticeable impact on the offense next season.
Packers Player Who Could Have a Bigger Role Number 1: OL Jordan Morgan
The Packers made offensive lineman Jordan Morgan their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Arizona alum played left tackle in college, but most scouts felt he would be best off moving to guard in the NFL.
After saying they would start Morgan out at tackle, the coaching staff moved him to right guard at the start of training camp. Injuries slowed Morgan in camp, and he lost the right guard job to Sean Rhyan.
Morgan played six games and started one when injuries forced the Packers to shuffle their offensive line around a bit. In the other five games he played, Morgan alternated series with Rhyan at right guard but did not start. Eventually, he was shut down for the season due to shoulder injuries.
With Josh Myers an unrestricted free agent who may not return, the Packers will have at least one opening on their starting offensive line. If Morgan shows what he can do in year two and stays healthy, he has a good chance to earn a starting job in 2025.
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Click here for more great Packers coverage
