The Green Bay Packers scored a big win Thanksgiving day against the Detroit Lions, but they also suffered a big loss. During the game, they lost defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt to what appears to be a season-ending injury. The former first-round pick out of Georgia will be a difficult player for the Packers to replace as they head into the stretch drive of the regular season and aim to win a championship.
Wyatt provides the Packers with pressure from the interior of the defensive line. He creates penetration and can utilize his quickness to disrupt opposing offenses and get quarterbacks off their game.
Thus far, Wyatt played 10 games for the Packers and had 27 total tackles including six tackles for loss. He also recorded four sacks, seven quarterback hits and knocked down two passes.
The injury took place in the fourth quarter on a play where Micah Parsons recorded a key sack. Rookie Warren Brinson accidentally rolled up on Wyatt and caused the injury.
Head coach Matt LaFleur was visibly upset when asked about Wyatt’s situation. “It doesn’t look good, guys,” coach LaFleur told reporters after the game Thursday. “I’m sick for him, I’m sick for us. I mean, that’s a critical loss for our football team, for our defense, obviously. I can’t say enough great things about him in terms of watching him mature not only as a football player but as a person. I’ve got a lot of love for Devonte Wyatt, and I think the whole locker room does, too. So, it’s a little bittersweet, I would say… We’re happy about the win but we’re sick about what happened to him.”
The injury leaves the Packers with precious little depth at defensive tackle. Currently, they have veterans Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, and rookies Nazir Stackhouse and Brinson.
Wooden has played well against the run but provides very little in the way of pass rush. He has no sacks and just two quarterback hits all season.
Brooks has struggled with injuries of his own. He has half a sack and five quarterback hits on the season.
The Packers signed Stackhouse as an undrafted free agent for his ability to occupy blockers and help stop the run, but he’s a nose tackle, not a pass rush specialist.
That leaves Brinson as the most likely candidate to try to fill Wyatt’s shoes. He’s played in just six games so far this season but has come on in recent weeks. Brinson played more extensively against the Vikings and recorded a half sack in that game. He also led the team with five pressures. For the season, Brinson has half a sack and one quarterback hit.
As far as Pro Football Focus is concerned, Brinson has the closest pass rush grade to Wyatt, albeit in limited action. The sixth round pick out of Georgia has shown flashes of pass rush ability, but in the NFL, he has yet to show he can play well on a consistent basis.
Another possibility on the current roster is Lukas Van Ness. The former first round pick out of Iowa played defensive tackle at times in college and may be able to provide some pressure from the interior of the defensive line. Unfortunately, Van Ness has been dealing with his own injuries. He did return to the lineup against Minnesota, but he seemed to aggravate his injury after just a handful of plays and then missed the Lions game on Thanksgiving. If he’s not healthy enough to play, he can’t help replace Wyatt.
Van Ness would only move inside in obvious passing situations. He provides strong run stopping ability as a defensive end, but as a tackle, he has yet to prove he can stop the run at the NFL level.
Another option would be James Ester who has spent this season on the Packers practice squad. While he played well in the preseason, Ester has yet to take a snap in a regular-season NFL game.
The Packers and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will have to find a way to replace the productivity that Wyatt provided.
Parsons himself has been a big fan of Wyatt and admitted how much the team missed him earlier in the season when he was out of the lineup. He may have summed it up best after Thursday’s game when he said, “You guys see the difference he makes when he got back out on the field. He’s a player you can’t replace, and we’re going to have to ask a lot of young guys to step up. It’s going to be challenging but we’re going to have to really dial into our details, our fundamentals to try to replace someone that’s unreplaceable.”
The first challenge will be next Sunday when the Packers face the Bears with first place in the NFC North on the line. If they hope to win this season, they’ll have to figure out how to do it without Wyatt.
