GREEN BAY, Wis. — Thursday's Thanksgiving feast may have come at a costly price for the Green Bay Packers.
It's appearing that defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt may have played his last snap for the team this season after sustaining a significant ankle injury against the Detroit Lions. He was rolled up on during a third-and-goal play late in the fourth quarter where Micah Parsons sacked Jared Goff, remaining on his back for several moments while the Packers' medical staff worked on him.
The replay showed a gruesome left ankle injury for Wyatt, who was ultimately carted off the field. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein, Wyatt suffered significant ligament damage in the ankle. He's going to undergo more tests and an MRI once the Packers return to Green Bay, but the outlook isn't encouraging.
"Yeah, it doesn't look good, guys," said head coach Matt LaFleur after the game. "I'm sick for him. I'm sick for us. That's a critical loss for our football team and for our defense, obviously."
Devonte Wyatt is tended to by the Packers' medical staff in Detroit on Nov. 27, 2025. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
A former first-round pick, Wyatt is fresh off having the fifth-year option in his rookie contract picked up by the Packers. He's under contract in 2026 and he'll have an opportunity to rebound from his injury before signing a long-term extension, assuming that's the route general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to take. Barring any other additions, which isn't exactly out of the question, Wyatt should continue to be a starter along the defensive line next year.
Right now, however, the Packers will have to figure out how to move forward with someone as impactful as Wyatt. The fourth-year defensive lineman has four sacks through 10 games, including two in last week's win over the Minnesota Vikings.
"I can't say enough great things about him in terms of just watching him mature, not only as a football player but as a person," LaFleur said. "I've got a lot of love for Devonte Wyatt and the whole locker room room does, too. It's bittersweet in regards to, yeah, we're happy about the win, but at the same time, we're sick about what happened to him."
Wyatt's injury comes on the heels of the Packers trading away nose tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys in August. Of course, that blockbuster deal netted them Parsons, who, on Thursday, became the first player in league history to eclipse 12 sacks in each of his first five seasons. If Clark was still in the stable, the Packers may find it somewhat easier to absorb the loss of Wyatt, but instead, they'll have to scramble for answers.
Warren Brinson logged his second-highest snap total of the season against the Lions. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
The interior of the Packers' defensive line currently consists of Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse. Wooden is already their starting nose tackle, so he isn't going anywhere. Brooks, meanwhile, is likely to take over in place of Wyatt, but he missed Thursday's game with an ankle injury. He played through the injury last week against the Vikings, but with a short turnaround between games, he was estimated as a non-participant in practice all three days leading up to the meeting with the Lions.
Brinson, who played 31 defensive snaps against the Lions, could be looking at an expanded role. The sixth-round rookie has been a healthy scratch for most of the season, but he's played in six games and led the team with five pressures against the Vikings.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com