GREEN BAY, Wis. -- For the second time in as many games, the Green Bay Packers lost a defensive player to a season-ending torn Achilles. This time, it’s veteran defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that tests on Monday confirmed that Hargrave suffered the same fate as linebacker Edgerrin Cooper did a week earlier.
Hargrave was injured in the final minutes of Sunday’s 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears. At the end of a pass rush move, he came up hopping and couldn’t put any weight on his right leg. He was eventually carted off the field.
“Obviously really excited for our team and winning the game, but I just saw Hargrave and it doesn’t look good,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. “That kind of takes the air out of the room a little bit, when you lose such a, just 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.”
The Packers signed the 33-year-old Hargrave to a two-year, $23 million contract in free agency this offseason. It included a $10.5 million signing bonus. Hargrave played in four of the first five games this season, missing Week 2 against the New York Jets because of a knee injury and a concussion. While he did not start any of the games, he played 123 defensive snaps and was credited with four tackles.
Including Hargrave, the Packers had six defensive tackles on the roster. They also have Warren Brinson on injured reserve because of calf and groin injuries and Jordon Riley on the physically unable to perform list because of the Achilles tear he sustained last season. It’s possible that one or both could be back this season.