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The Packers’ defense just took a significant hit. Defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt suffered a fractured ankle during Green Bay’s Thanksgiving Day win over the Lions, and according to reports, he’s expected to miss the remainder of the season. He was carted off the field, and head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t sugarcoat it postgame-this could be a long-term issue.
For Wyatt, the timing couldn’t be worse. The 27-year-old was in the midst of his most productive season yet, finally locking down a full-time starting role and trending toward career highs across the board-tackles, tackles for loss, sacks.
His impact was starting to show up consistently on tape, especially in the trenches where Green Bay has been searching for stability next to Kenny Clark. Now, the Packers will have to figure out how to fill that void down the stretch.
Wyatt will be placed on season-ending injured reserve, officially ending what had been shaping up as a breakout campaign.
A former first-round pick-No. 28 overall out of Georgia back in 2022-Wyatt had been developing steadily in his first couple seasons, but 2025 was when it all started to click. In 10 games this year, he notched 27 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, and two pass breakups. Those numbers reflect a player who was beginning to assert himself as more than just a rotational piece-he was becoming a real problem for opposing offensive lines.
Financially, Wyatt is still under team control. He’s in the final year of his four-year rookie deal worth just under $13 million, which included over $6.5 million in guarantees.
The Packers already picked up his fifth-year option earlier this year, locking him in for the 2026 season at a salary of $13.9 million. That move now looks like a smart piece of business, even with this injury setback.
This is a tough blow for a Green Bay defense that had been leaning more heavily on its front four to generate pressure. With Wyatt out, the Packers will likely need to turn to a rotation of younger, less experienced linemen-or possibly explore veteran depth options-to keep the defensive line from losing its edge.
Losing a player like Wyatt isn’t just about what he brings statistically. It’s about the momentum he was building, the chemistry he had with the rest of the line, and the way he was starting to command attention from opposing offenses. For a defense trying to find its identity in the second half of the season, this is a major challenge.
