Devonte Wyatt’s new contract looked like a smart piece of business for the Packers when it got done before training camp. The deal runs three years and $57 million, includes a $20 million signing bonus and $22 million in true guarantees, and - because of the way it’s built with a 2027 roster bonus - functions more like about $31 million in practical guarantees before the club could get out from under it after the 2027 season.
That made sense at the time because Wyatt had already flashed the disruptive play Green Bay drafted him for, even if the box-score sacks never quite matched the pressure. He missed the end of last season with a season-ending ankle injury, and there was some uncertainty around him entering the final year of his old deal. But his production profile had always been part promise, part frustration: pressure rates above 9% in each of his first three seasons, then a 20th-place ranking among defensive tackles last year as his workload grew, even though that pressure rate dipped to 7.7%.
Now the issue is getting sharper. In 2026, Wyatt’s pressure rate has slid all the way to 5.4%, and that drop matters even more because he has never been reliable against the run. The source material is blunt on that point: his run defense grades, outside of his rookie year in limited snaps, have been 52 or worse in each of the past four seasons, and this year he’s giving the Packers next to nothing in that phase.
There is at least one bright spot in the Packers’ defensive tackle group: Karl Brooks. He’s putting together a career year while handling more snaps than ever, logging more than 60% of the defensive workload while also serving as a special teams ironman.
His pressure rate has been solid, and his run stop rate is among the best in football, even though he’s not the kind of defensive tackle you’d expect to stand out there. Brooks’ contract-year surge has helped cover for some of Wyatt’s issues, but that cover came off on Sunday.
Against the Lions, Green Bay’s front had a hard time generating heat, and the formation alignments essentially forced Lukas Van Ness out of the pass rush. That left the Packers without their best pass rusher on most snaps, and Wyatt’s rough 2026 got worse: he failed to record a single pressure for the second straight game.
With Javon Hargrave out for the year and likely to be a cut candidate this offseason, and with Brooks increasingly looking like a player who could cash in elsewhere in the spring, the Packers need a return to 2025 Devonte Wyatt fast. If it doesn’t happen in 2026, they at least need it in 2027, when perhaps - just maybe - they won’t be dealing with another year of brutal injury luck.
In Other News...
Packers Face A New Receiver Concern Ahead Of Thursday Night
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Matthew Goldens status is still being worked through and his availability against Carolina is uncertain, which leaves Green Bay with one more decision to sort out before kickoff. If Golden cant go, the Packers may need to turn to Isaiah Neyor from the practice squad for the first time this season, a reminder that even a routine injury report can quickly reshape the depth chart on a Thursday night. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleurs Micah Parsons Update Gives Packers Fans Real Hope
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For now, though, the timeline remains cautious. Parsons has already been ruled out for Week 8, leaving Week 9 against the Patriots as the earliest possible return if his progress in practice keeps moving in the right direction. Until he gets that first full practice under his belt, the Packers can only treat this as encouraging news rather than a true comeback date. [Read more 🡒]
Micah Parsons Just Gave One AFC Contender A Ton Of Hype
Micah Parsons used his podcast to put a surprising spotlight on Cincinnati, saying he believes the Bengals can climb all the way to the AFC's top spot and earn the conferences first-round bye. It was the kind of public vote of confidence that tends to travel fast in the NFL, especially when it comes from a player with Parsons profile and when the team in question has already built a rsum that suggests it belongs in the conversation.
Cincinnati has been stacking up results behind an offense that stays dangerous and a defense that has taken a noticeable step forward. Joe Burrow has been efficient from the pocket, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase keep giving the Bengals a pair of high-end targets, and the overall profile is strong enough that Parsons saw a team capable of finishing among the leagues best on both sides of the ball. For a contender still trying to separate itself from the pack, that kind of outside belief only adds to the intrigue. [Read more 🡒]