The Green Bay Packers walked out of Lambeau Field with a convincing win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but the victory came with a major cost on defense.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that tests confirmed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending torn Achilles. Hargrave went down late in Green Bay’s 31-7 win and was carted off after a non-contact injury while pursuing the quarterback.
Head coach Matt LaFleur had already braced for the diagnosis after the game, saying the early indication involved Hargrave’s Achilles.
“It kind of takes the air out of the room a little bit,” LaFleur said after the Packers improved to 3-2. “It kind of puts a little bit of a cloud on the day.”
Hargrave joined Green Bay in March on a two-year, $23 million contract, including $13 million in 2026. The two-time Pro Bowler was brought in to give new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon a proven interior disruptor with experience in his system.
Packers Lose 2nd Defensive Starter to Achilles Tear in 2 Weeks
Hargrave’s injury hit at a tough time for Green Bay to absorb.
Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper tore his Achilles in the Packers’ Week 4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ending what had been a fast start to his third season. Cooper had 18 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception through the first month.
Now Green Bay has lost an additional important piece of its front to the same injury one week later.
Hargrave’s numbers through the opening stretch were not flashy — six tackles, two quarterback hits and a pass defensed — but his value isn’t about those sorts of stats. The 33-year-old headed into the season with 49 career sacks and two Pro Bowl selections, and his history with Gannon was a central part of the Packers’ offseason plan.
Hargrave played under Gannon with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022, piling up 18.5 sacks over those two seasons. Green Bay reunited the pair after Hargrave spent 2025 with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers were adjusting to life without Cooper, so losing Hargrave is an extra blow for a defense that had just forced five turnovers against Chicago.
Packers’ Young Defensive Tackles Face Bigger Role After Hargrave Injury
Green Bay has to redistribute Hargrave’s work across a defensive tackle room that still has talent but far less experience at nose tackle.
Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks give the Packers noteworthy options inside, while rookie Chris McClellan becomes one of the players positioned for a larger role. Green Bay selected McClellan in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the rookie spent part of the offseason studying Hargrave’s film to learn the nose tackle position.
That mentorship is now more critical than ever.
McClellan told Packers.com during training camp that he and defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase studied Hargrave’s tape from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and San Francisco “almost every day” as he learned the position. He also called Hargrave a “big bro” who consistently offered advice.
Anthony Campbell was inactive against Chicago with an ankle injury, which further thinned the group Sunday. Jonathan Ford also is a choice on the interior, giving Green Bay multiple bodies to work with as it determines how to replace Hargrave’s snaps.
The Packers found a needed divisional win against the Bears.
But the looming worry is figuring out how to keep the defense moving forward after losing a second major contributor for the season in the span of mere days.
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