It is unusual for a Green Bay Packers team to be led by its defense, but that is exactly what has happened in the first eight weeks of the 2026 season, with Jonathan Gannon’s group producing more consistent performances compared to Matt LaFleur’s feast-or-famine offense.
Gannon has received plenty of plaudits for the job he has done in cooking up a defense which ranks fifth in the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per play allowed without Micah Parsons and having lost Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargrave along the way.
The unit’s success is not just the result of good coaching though, it is a win for Green Bay’s "draft and develop" team-building philosophy. There are success stories all over the defense, and each one is different.
Ty’Ron Hopper
is the poster child for development. A third-round pick in 2024 and a questionable one at that, he only played 151 snaps on defense in his first two seasons and looked like he would be buried on the depth chart again this season behind multiple veterans.
Injuries presented the third-year linebacker with an opportunity to show what he has learned on the bench, and he has answered the bell, producing multiple splash plays in the Bears game last month and against the Panthers on Thursday, including an interception which he tipped to himself.
Evan Williams has arguably been the defensive MVP so far and is one of Brian Gutekunst’s biggest hits in the draft.
Williams was not highly thought of coming out of Oregon, with some consensus draft boards ranking him in the 200s. The Packers traded up to get him in the fourth round and have been absolutely vindicated. He is an example of a player who hit the ground running as a rookie but did not stop there, getting better every year and now establishing himself as one of the very best safeties in the NFL.
It felt like the football gods gave the Packers a do-over after finding Micah Hyde back in 2023 in the fifth round and then making the mistake of letting him walk in free agency at the end of his rookie deal. Green Bay will not make the same error with the man who wears Hyde’s old number 33.
Fellow defensive back Javon Bullard, drafted in the second round of the same draft as Williams, did not have the same type of success as a rookie and was a victim of his own versatility, being asked to switch between slot corner and safety almost weekly.
Bullard had a rough rookie year, but his arrow has been pointing up ever since as he has established himself as an extremely valuable slot corner not only for his coverage ability but his rare skills in run defense. He has made Packers fans forget about 2024 draft crush Cooper DeJean.
Lukas Van Ness showed signs of a breakout last year after a couple of frustrating seasons since being drafted with the 13th overall pick, but he was not able to stay healthy and the obvious caveat was that his improved play came when he was playing opposite Micah Parsons.
Without Parsons this year, he ranks 13th in the league in pass rush win rate and already has more pressures (28) and sacks (five per PFF) than he did last season. Van Ness has confirmed the jump he made was legit.
Some other unheralded pass rushers like Brenton Cox Jr. and Barryn Sorrell have also stepped up in Parsons’ absence. Cox had five pressures and a sack against Carolina, while Sorrell has already beaten his pass rush production from last year with 11 pressures and two sacks so far.
Despite various injuries weakening the Packers defense on paper, Gannon’s unit has not skipped a beat, and a huge part of that is young players showing growth, stepping into bigger roles and making the most of their opportunities.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Ty'Ron Hopper, Packers defense justifies draft and develop philosophy
