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Packers lose DT Javon Hargrave to season-ending Achilles tear
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- Packers lose DT Javon Hargrave to season-ending Achilles tear
Tests confirmed Monday that Packers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Sunday's 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The 33-year-old was injured with less than two minutes left in the game while pressuring quarterback Case Keenum, a non-contact play that immediately looked serious.
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Hargrave was carted off the field as teammates Micah Parsons, Keisean Nixon and Christian Watson came over to check on him. Head coach Matt LaFleur didn't sugarcoat his initial read after the game, saying the injury "doesn't look good."
Javon Hargrave's season-ending Achilles tear during Green Bay's win over the Bears marks the defense's second major injury in as many weeks.Patrick McDermott / Getty Images
That's what makes the timing especially brutal. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered the identical injury just one week earlier, in Green Bay's Week 4 matchup against Tampa Bay.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport flagged the pattern directly, noting it was "the second torn Achilles in as many weeks for the GB defense."
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Green Bay signed Hargrave to a multi-year deal just months ago
Hargrave joined the Packers in free agency this offseason on a two-year, $23 million contract after spending last season with Minnesota.
A two-time Pro Bowler with 11 years of experience and 21.5 sacks across his 2021-2023 peak, he'd recorded six tackles through four games this season before going down.
Including Hargrave, the Packers have now lost four players for the season: offensive tackle Zach Bako-Bewele to a patellar tendon injury, wide receiver Jayden Reed to a neck injury, Cooper to his Achilles tear, and now Hargrave.
That's an alarming attrition rate barely a quarter of the way through the schedule.
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Backup depth will be tested immediately in Green Bay's interior defensive line
With Hargrave gone, Green Bay turns to Karl Brooks, Anthony Campbell, Jonathan Ford, Chris McClellan and Devonte Wyatt to fill the void up front. None carries Hargrave's track record, which puts real pressure on new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to find answers fast.
Green Bay sits at 3-2 and still owns one of the league's more productive turnover units, forcing five against Chicago alone, but doing that without one of its most experienced interior linemen for the rest of the year is a real test of depth heading into the back half of October.
Related: Josh Allen's controversial 'arm punt' pits fans against ESPN's McAfee
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This story was originally published by Lindy's Sports on Oct 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Lindy's Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
