The Packers' 31-7 win over the Bears was Green Bay's best and most important victory this season, a sign the team could be headed in the right direction after a rocky first few weeks. Headed in the wrong direction, though, is the team's health on defense. One week after the team lost standout linebacker Edgerrin Cooper for the season with a torn Achilles, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave suffered the same injury and is also done for the year, per ESPN.
"That kind of takes the air out of the room a little bit, when you lose ... not only a great player but a great guy, a key piece to this team, and it kind of puts a little bit of a cloud on the day," coach Matt LaFleur said. The timing adds to that cloudiness; the injury occurred late in the blowout win, and he had to be carted off the field. Hargrave, a Pro Bowler in 2021 and 2023, signed a two-year, $23 million deal this offseason and was expected to bolster a Green Bay interior that struggled down the stretch of last year.
Hargrave has played just a hair under the Packers' defensive snaps this year, and his injury is the third to the position group. Warren Brinson (calf/groin) is on IR, and Jordon Riley (Achilles recovery) remains on the PUP list. Anthony Campbell (ankle) missed Week 5 as well.
The Packers' healthy defensive linemen (not including edge rushers) are Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan, Jonathan Ford and Devonte Wyatt. The injury is also unfortunate as it comes just as Micah Parsons was nearing a return from his torn ACL. He's still officially on the PUP list but could be back in the coming weeks.
With so many injuries up front, Green Bay could look for outside help with the Nov. 10 trade deadline less than a month away. The Packers are down a 2027 first-round pick due to the Parsons trade but own all of their other picks in next year's draft as well as the Cowboys' fourth-rounder from the Rashan Gary trade this offseason. The Packers may slow-play the exploration of trade options.
They're 3-2, but Sunday's win over the Caleb Williams-less Bears shouldn't make them rash buyers. If they do want to buy, though, three interior defensive linemen stand out. Daron Payne has been the subject of trade rumors a few times, yet he's spent all nine seasons of his career with Washington.
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