GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay Packers don't practice by a power substation, but they are in the general vicinity of paper plants and an animal-rendering facility.
Whatever the reason, the Packers continue to get hit by big injuries. The latest was defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffering a torn Achilles toward the end of Sunday's win over the Bears. That injury was especially deflating to coach Matt LaFleur after the game.
It was the second season-ending Achilles injury in as many weeks, with Hargrave's coming on the heels of star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper's last week.
"I think it's a fluky deal," LaFleur said on Monday, "but, once you go through this, you always are looking back at everything you do and trying to figure out why certain things happen.
"It was definitely unfortunate. I know it took a lot of wind out of my sails last night after the game when you have a devastating injury like to anybody, let alone to a guy that has come in here and done things the right way and been a real asset to our football team."
According to data from a few years ago , there are an average of about 20 Achilles tears per season since the NFL moved to a 17-game schedule. That includes training camp, preseason and regular season.
The Packers have had two this season. Plus, tight end John FitzPatrick and defensive tackle Jordon Riley sustained Achilles injuries in Week 16 and Week 17 of last season, respectively. So, the Packers are clear outliers on the spectrum with a perplexing four Achilles tears in their last nine games.
"Unfortunate," LaFleur said.
Asked if there's time during the season to dive into the search for reasons or if that's an offseason project for the medical staff, LaFleur said:
"I hope everybody's diving in and, if people have solutions into how do you avoid that, we'll listen. If we have to adjust things from a practice standpoint and whatnot or a training standpoint, we'll definitely listen to that."
Micah Parsons will not practice this week, meaning he will not get to play against his former team, the Cowboys, on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
His brother, who knows as much about Parsons' comeback as anyone, said his "best bet" would be the Week 10 home game against Minnesota or the Week 12 game at the Rams. (The Packers have a short Week 11 bye before facing the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve).
"As soon as they give us the green light, he'll be out there," LaFleur said. "That hasn't happened yet, but I think we're getting closer."
After this week's game against Dallas, the Packers will play at Detroit. LaFleur was asked if playing on Ford Field's artificial surface would preclude him from returning for that game.
LaFleur said, no, it wouldn't. Rather, the short timeframe between now and facing the Lions would be the predictable obstacle.
"First of all, you've got to get him back on the practice field," he said. "There's a lot of testing that goes on before he gets medically cleared to get out there, and then I'm sure we're going to want to give him some time to get back to playing football. As you see with most guys that are coming off a major injury, it takes a little bit of time."
At the end of training camp, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he thought Parsons might be close to returning after the four-week PUP window.
That, obviously, is not going to be the case. Did something change?
"I think we were all hopeful," LaFleur said. "He's a physical specimen, he's a creature of nature for sure and, sometimes, you've got to make sure that your body is [fully ready]. You don't want one leg to be that much stronger than the other leg."
The Packers' depth at defensive tackle has evaporated in a hurry.
Warren Brinson started the season on the sideline due to a calf injury. In his first practice a couple weeks ago, he suffered a groin injury and was placed on injured reserve. And now, Javon Hargrave will miss the rest of the season.
That leaves the Packers with five defensive tackles: starters Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks, nose tackle Jonathan Ford, rookie Chris McClellan and first-year player Anthony Campbell. Campbell suffered an ankle injury in his NFL debut against the Jets and has been inactive for the last three games.
"Well, hopefully, we'll get Campbell rolling this week, but it truly is a next-man-up mentality and guys got to get ready to play," LaFleur said. "That's just the nature of the beast and I think that's one of the luxuries of having a 70-man roster.
"We tell our players this all the time, whether you're on the active or you're on the P-squad, you got to get ready to play. For those that we anticipate playing in the game that are up on gameday, we'll make sure that they get the adequate amount of reps."
David Blay, an undrafted rookie, is the only defensive tackle on the practice squad. The aforementioned Jordon Riley is on PUP following last year's torn Achilles. He's "pretty close" to returning to practice but, like Parsons, he's going to need practice time to get ready to play in a game.
Finally, the depth at receiver has eroded, as well. Jayden Reed suffered a season-ending neck injury against the Jets in Week 2 and his backup, Skyy Moore, suffered an ankle injury early against Chicago.
"I would say in the short term, there's a little bit of concern, but nothing like too long term," LaFleur said.
Savion Williams, who opened the season on injured reserve, was designated for return last week and was limited participation at all three practices but was not added to the roster.
"He's definitely getting closer," LaFleur said. "I'm hopeful that we can get him there, but we'll kind of work through the week and see where he's at."
The Packers have three receivers on the practice squad, including Isaiah Neyor, who has been with the team since August 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as Packers Injury Updates, Including Micah Parsons and Perplexing Achilles Tears .
