Javon Hargrave arrived in Green Bay as one of the team’s bigger offseason swings, but his first game in a Packers uniform didn’t do much to clarify how he fits.
Against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, in Week 1, Hargrave was on the field for 30 snaps and finished with one tackle and no pressures. He wasn’t a liability, but he also didn’t leave much of a mark. The Packers used him off the bench next to rookie Chris McClellan, and the early takeaway was simple: solid, but not the kind of debut fans probably had in mind.
That matters because the move was easy to sell on paper. Hargrave was released by the Vikings, the Packers brought him in as a free agent, and his history with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon gave the whole idea a familiar, almost obvious logic.
Hargrave had big seasons under Gannon during the 2021-22 stretch with the Eagles, and he’s only three years removed from his last Pro Bowl. But after one game, the picture is murkier.
The bigger issue is where he sits in the Packers’ rotation. Green Bay appeared to go with a committee approach up front in Week 1, and there wasn’t much separation in snap counts.
Karl Brooks led the defensive linemen with 37 snaps, while McClellan was fifth with 28. That alone suggests the staff isn’t handing out jobs by reputation.
The most telling detail was the starting lineup. Brooks opened as a defensive end opposite Devonte Wyatt, with Jonathan Ford at nose tackle. That looked like Hargrave’s spot on the board before the season, but it went to someone else.
There are possible explanations. Hargrave dealt with injury during training camp, and at 33, he’s at a point in his career where recovery can take longer after 11 years in the league.
Or maybe the Packers are seeing a player who has simply lost a step. Whatever the reason, he was less productive than all three starters in Week 1.
That doesn’t mean the Packers should write him off after one outing. It’s far too soon for that. But it does mean expectations probably need to come down a notch.
The Packers took a chance on Hargrave after a disappointing 2025 campaign, betting that a reunion with Gannon could help him rebound. Instead, the first glimpse suggests he may not be headed for the featured role many expected. Brooks has a chance to make the starting job hard to take away if he keeps playing like he did in Minnesota, Wyatt is locked in long term after his offseason extension, Ford is continuing to stand out inside, and McClellan looked good enough in his NFL debut to earn real snaps.
Nothing is settled yet. But the early read is clear enough: Hargrave may be further down the depth chart than anyone imagined.
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Kraft did acknowledge the mistakes, but he framed them as the kind of issues the Packers can clean up rather than something deeper. That optimism is part of the appeal, and part of what will divide people who watched the opener and came away frustrated. The Packers have enough talent to talk like contenders, but they also have to prove they can play like one when the game tightens, and the early-season pressure is already there. [Read more 🡒]