The Green Bay Packers have lost an ascending defensive lineman before he could play a regular-season snap in 2026.
Green Bay placed Warren Brinson on injured reserve Saturday, Oct. 3, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move guarantees Brinson will miss at least four games and confirms the extended absence head coach Matt LaFleur forecast one day earlier.
Brinson had been working his way back from a calf injury sustained during pregame warmups before the Packers’ Aug. 21 preseason matchup in Denver. He returned to practice Wednesday, only to suffer an unrelated groin injury when he slipped during the session.
“Unfortunately, I think he’s gonna miss a significant amount of time,” LaFleur said, according to the Packers’ official website.
Brinson’s Return Ended Before It Started
The time it comes at makes the setback notably harsh for Brinson, who missed Green Bay’s first three games with the calf issue.
The 24-year-old participated on a limited basis Wednesday before sitting out Thursday and Friday. LaFleur described the groin injury as a fluke play, telling reporters, “All he did was slip.”
Brinson came into his second NFL season with an opportunity to assume a bigger role after showing good progress throughout training camp. The 2025 sixth-round pick won all three of his one-on-one pass-rushing reps during an Aug. 4 practice, flashing the speed and hand technique needed to create interior pressure.
One training-camp evaluation went further, arguing that no player had made a larger second-year jump than Brinson. The former Georgia standout had positioned himself to become a significant piece of Green Bay’s defensive-line rotation before the two injuries stalled that momentum.
Brinson appeared in 11 games with one start as a rookie, recording 13 tackles and half a sack across 243 defensive snaps. He initially spent time as a healthy scratch but worked his way into the rotation during the second half of the season.
Now, his earliest possible return would emerge in November. LaFleur’s wording proposes the absence may stretch past the minimum four-game requirement.
Packers’ Interior Depth Faces Immediate Test
Green Bay prepared for attrition by carrying seven defensive tackles on its initial 53-man roster. That decision offers some protection, although the position group is being tested regardless.
Anthony Campbell will also miss Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of an ankle injury. Karl Brooks battled an illness during the week but carries no game designation and is expected to play.
That leaves Brooks, Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Chris McClellan and Jonathan Ford as Green Bay’s available interior defenders. The Packers also recently added David Blay Jr. to the practice squad.
“That was one of our deeper rooms thankfully,” LaFleur said. “You just have less bodies in the room, and it puts a little bit more of a load on everybody else.”
The depth will be challenged most definitely. The Atlanta Falcons ran for 242 yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay’s 35-14 Week 3 loss, sharply reversing a strong start by the Packers’ run defense. Green Bay had allowed only 2.85 yards per carry through its first two games.
Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving practiced fully Friday after dealing with a glute injury and carries no designation. He leads the Buccaneers with 180 rushing yards through three games.
Brinson’s injury doesn’t leave the Packers without possibilities. It does remove a key cog in the machines, as the front seven attempts to recover from its roughest performance of the season.
Packers Have Bad News on Ascending 24-Year-Old DT After Injury from Warmups