Coming off a dominant special teams campaign cut short by injury, Nick Niemann enters a high-stakes season as a vital piece of the Green Bay Packers' championship puzzle.
We're officially 37 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. 37, we have linebacker Nick Niemann
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 37 Nick Niemann
Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Niemann (31) is shown after tackling Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) on a punt return during the second quarter of their game Sunday, September 7, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Green Bay Packers beat the Detroit Lions 27-13. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.The Packers have struggled with consistency on special teams for many years now. It's seemingly always something on special teams.
That was why many wanted Rich Bisaccia fired before he randomly decided to step away. That's also why many are excited about new special teams coordinator Cam Achord. He can't make things any worse, right?
The truth is this: No matter if it was Bisaccia or now Achord, a special teams coach is only as good as the players he has on his unit.
That's what makes Nick Niemann so important for the Packers in 2026.
Yes, technically he's a backup linebacker, so he could show up on Jonathan Gannon's defense from time to time. The Packers love Niemann because he's a core special teams player, though.
That's why they gave him a one-year, $2.25 million contract extension this offseason.
2025 Synopsis:
Niemann missed nine games because of a torn pectoral muscle he suffered in Week 8. With that said, he notched 10 solo tackles and two assisted tackles, and at the time of his injury, he led the NFL in total tackles on special teams.
Notable Quotables:
"Special teams is a very big matchup situation where you want to be put in good matchups. Between that and just having good instincts and having a good feel for things. You can be instinctual at linebacker." - Nick Niemann
Projected Role in 2026:
If Niemann stays healthy in 2026, he should be one of the best special teams players in the NFL and very well could be an All-Pro.
Previous Rankings:
