Reliable depth and good special teams are keys to championships, and Isaiah McDuffie is a veteran linebacker who can solidify the Green Bay Packers' defensive rotation and special teams units for 2026.
We're officially 21 days from the start of the 2026 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers. Whether you're ready or not, football season is here.
The Packers kick off their 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Talk about pressure. The Vikings are certainly in a transitional place as a franchise, but getting going against an NFC North foe ratchets up the intensity of this season from the get-go.
It's a big season for the Packers. There's a belief that they're in a Super Bowl window right now, which means every single game is important. That means the intensity will be there in Week 2 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets and it will certainly be there in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, when the Packers will play at Lambeau Field for the first time in 2026.
There's going to be a lot of proverbial ink spilled on this 2026 season and we here at PackersRoundtable hope that you spend as much time as possible with us talking about the ins and outs and ups and downs of the Packers.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, though, we're going to kick things off with a rankings series looking at the Top 50 Packers heading into the 2025 season.
At No. 21, we have linebacker Isaiah McDuffie
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 21, Isaiah McDuffie
Nov 23, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) tackles Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) after reception during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images.Isaiah McDuffie is an extremely important player for the Packers in 2026, though he is not expected to be a starter on defense.
It is fair to say that he'll be one of the top backup linebackers in the league, though, and that's an extremely important position. Teams that win Super Bowls have elite depth, and McDuffie is a major depth piece for the Pack.
He's also a key special teams player. Since joining the Packers in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Boston College, McDuffie has registered 34 tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams.
McDuffie is experienced and reliable. In 80 regular season games as a Packer, he's notched 286 tackles (155 solo), 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, nine quarterback hits, one interception, five passes defended and a forced fumble. He's also started 38 games at linebacker.
The Packers believe in McDuffie so much that they gave him a one-year, $4.85 million contract extension this offseason. He'll make $8.8 million over the next two year span, plus up to $1 million in incentives.
2025 Synopsis:
McDuffie totaled 92 tackles (47 solo), three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a sack in 2025. PFF credits him for eight total pressures and two sacks. He missed just five tackles throughout the season, which ranked seventh in the NFL.
Notable Quotables:
“I love Green Bay. They’ve been very good to me. It’s a very special place, and at the end of the day I see myself wanting to stay there and hopefully win a Super Bowl with this team.” - Isaiah McDuffie
Projected Role in 2026:
McDuffie is a solid backup linebacker on this team and will be called upon to spell either Edgerrin Cooper or Quay Walker. He'll also be a key player on special teams.
Previous Rankings:
