The Green Bay Packers defense was a massive disappointment in Thursday’s 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They have mostly outperformed the offense through three games, but there is definitely room for improvement. It also wouldn’t hurt if they got more out of one player who has been surprisingly quiet after signing a three-year, $57 million extension in the offseason.
In three starts and across 111 defensive snaps (62 pass-rush snaps), Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt hasn’t had a sack and has generated just two quarterback pressures. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), his defensive grade of 47.8 overall ranks 90th among 122 qualified interior defensive linemen. His 54.2 pass-rush grade ranks 100th among 122 qualified interior defensive linemen,
while his 43.4 run-defense grade is 95th.
Wyatt’s off to an underwhelming start since signing his new deal, especially when you compare it to his numbers at this point last season. Through the first three games of 2025, Wyatt had recorded 2.0 sacks, 13 pressures, five quarterback hits, and two pass deflections. Entering Week 4, his 77.8 pass-rush grade from PFF ranked tied for 29th among all players, and his 13 pressures were tied for second-most at his position.
Wyatt failed to sustain that level of impact, but injuries probably didn’t help. Following a knee injury that sidelined him for Weeks 6 and 7, he didn’t record another sack until Week 12. In fact, Wyatt registered just nine pressures over his final seven games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in a Week 13 win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
Despite being limited to 10 games, Wyatt still ended up being one of the team’s most productive defensive players, finishing with 4.0 sacks, 22 pressures, 27 tackles, six tackles for loss, and two pass deflections.
The Packers hoped Wyatt could return to the same player he was at the start of last season, which is why they went ahead and extended him instead of making him play out the season on a fifth-year option.
Under his new deal, Wyatt’s $18.3 million average annual salary ranks 21st among interior defensive linemen. He’s expected to be one of the defense’s top performers, though he’s hardly produced like it. It doesn’t appear Wyatt is limited, as he’s currently playing 53 percent of the defensive snaps compared to 60 percent in 2025.
Perhaps Wyatt isn’t back to his pre-injury form quite yet, but his numbers are down significantly when he’s paid to be one of the team’s top performers. It’s only Week 3, so Wyatt has plenty of time to turn things around or show that the Packers would have been better off spending that money elsewhere.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers DT Devonte Wyatt off to slow start after receiving $57M extension
