The Green Bay Packers will indeed spend the rest of the season without defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, following Wyatt’s ankle fracture suffered late in the fourth quarter versus the Lions on Thursday. The confirmation of the incident’s season-ending nature, though not unexpected, is a blow to Green Bay’s defensive front, which relied on Wyatt as a stabilizing force and reinforcement in the pass rush.

The initial diagnosis was not promising. After the game, head coach Matt LaFleur said he was “sick” for Wyatt, both for the player and for the team having to move forward without him. Now, though, LaFleur’s primary focus is establishing an answer in Wyatt’s absence. Albeit disappointed, the seventh-year HC fielded reporters’ questions on the topic in matter-of-fact fashion during his media session Monday.

Losing Wyatt Hurts, but now it’s all about the next man up

“Yeah, it’s tough, but that is the nature of our game,” LaFleur said. “Certainly he’s a guy who’s going to be pretty tough to replace, and I think it just falls on everybody else raising the level of their game.”

In place of Wyatt, the Packers will likely turn to Karl Brooks and Warren Brinson. Brooks, who missed last game injured, is a third-year player out of Bowling Green. The 2023 sixth-rounder has eight career sacks.

Brinson owns the unfortunate status as the player who rolled over on Wyatt’s ankle during the Lions game, causing the injury on Green Bay’s final defensive play. The Packers drafted him in the sixth round out of Georgia back in April.

“I think everyone’s up in the air, but I certainly think we have confidence in the guys that have been playing and doing a good job. Certainly it would be nice to get Karl Brooks back out there. And then, the two young guys are going to have to get a few more reps with Brinson and Stack [Nazir Stackhouse].”

Stackhouse, another Georgia alum, is currently the backup at left tackle this season, behind Colby Wooden. If the Packers are willing to move him over to right tackle, he would be another option as they seek to fill their Wyatt-sized void in the front four.

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