The Green Bay Packers earned a win on Thanksgiving, but they also lost a key piece of their defense. Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt was carted off the field late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
On Saturday morning, it was announced that Wyatt fractured his ankle and will likely miss the rest of the season.
What Does Devonte Wyatt’s Injury Mean For the Packers?
Wyatt is in his fourth year with the Packers out of Georgia. The 2022 first-round pick has slowly developed into one of the most important pieces in the middle of the Packers’ front four.
The Georgia product played in 47 games over his first three years in the NFL but started just five of those games. Wyatt collected 12 sacks, 74 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 23 quarterback hits through his first three years.
But Wyatt was having a breakout 2025 campaign. The fourth-year player had started all 10 games he’d played this season and was on pace to set career highs in sacks, tackles, TFLs, and quarterback hits.
That was until Wyatt was rolled up on in the fourth quarter on Thanksgiving against the Lions. The play didn’t look pretty, and coach Matt LaFleur didn’t sound optimistic after the game. His injury news was confirmed on Saturday morning.
“It doesn’t look good, guys. I’m sick for him. I’m sick for us,” LaFluer said postgame on Thursday. “That’s a critical loss for our football team, for our defense. I can’t say enough great things about him in terms of just watching him mature – not only as a football player, as a person.”
Wyatt’s fractured ankle is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the season. He’s been the Packers’ most productive defensive tackle, according to PFSN’s DT Impact metric. Wyatt has a C+ grade on the season but started the year with a B- and B grade, ranking in the top 15 in the NFL. Then, Wyatt was bitten by the injury bug before returning for six games, until his injury against the Lions.
“I’ve got a lot of love for Devonte Wyatt, and I think the whole locker room does too,” LaFLuer said. “So, it’s a little bittersweet. Yeah, we’re happy about the win, but at the same time, we’re sick about what happened to him.”
In Wyatt’s absence, the Packers will lean on Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks more heavily, and depth pieces like Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson may have to step up.
Brooks was inactive against the Lions but does have 17 tackles and a half sack on the year. Wooden leads the group with 36 tackles and six TFLs. Stackhouse has played in every game this year in a reserve role, and he has 10 tackles. Brinson has eight tackles and a half sack in six games this season.
Similar to Wyatt, both Stackhouse and Brinson played college ball at Georgia. Stackhouse is an undrafted rookie, and Brinson was a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. The Georgia depth pieces may be counted on for bigger roles down the stretch with Wyatt out for the season.
