Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opened up his press conference on Sunday by stating that the win over the Chicago Bears was “bittersweet,” as it didn’t “look good” for defensive lineman Javon Hargrave. Hargrave went down late against the Bears in garbage time and was carted off the field. When asked for more details, LaFleur said, “early indications look like Achilles.”
Hargrave would be the fourth season-ending injury for the Packers already, if the diagnosis is correct. Green Bay previously
lost receiver Jayden Reed (neck), right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (Patellar tendon) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (Achilles) for the season.
The Packers have five defensive linemen on the roster, beyond Hargrave, but Anthony Campbell was held out of action in Week 5 and came into Sunday with a questionable status due to an injury. Karl Brooks (starting 3-4 defensive end), Devonte Wyatt (starting 3-4 defensive end), Jonathan Ford (starting 3-4 nose tackle) and Chris McClellan (third-round rookie) are healthy in the unit.
Whenever Hargrave gets deactivated, he’ll be the ninth Packers player to hit the injured reserve, on top of the three players who are on the physically unable to perform list. The good news? At some point, defensive linemen Warren Brinson (IR) and Jordon Riley (PUP) will come back and contribute to the unit.
Currently, Green Bay’s sixth option at defensive tackle is practice squadder David Blay Jr., who was signed by the team in Week 4. The Packers have had their practice squad options poached this year, as Nazir Stackhouse was claimed at the cutdown deadline and Jaden Crumedy was plucked from the practice squad to the Houston Texans’ roster in-season.
To replace Crumedy, Green Bay initially signed Eric Johnson II, but they let go of him after about two weeks. Two days later, the team signed Blay.
The Packers almost always carry five defensive tackles on their 48-man game-day roster, so Campbell’s health will be a major focus this week. If he can’t go, Blay might need to be activated for game action.
