GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay Packers felt so good about their defensive tackles during training camp that they took seven into the regular season.
Attrition, however, has been cruel. Warren Brinson missed the start of the regular season with a calf injury, returned to practice and promptly suffered a groin injury that sent him to injured reserve. Next, productive veteran Javon Hargrave suffered a torn Achilles during the waning moments of Sunday's win over Chicago.
That leaves the Packers with five players. One of them, Anthony Campbell, went undrafted in 2025, suffered an ankle injury in his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Jets and missed the last three games.
Fortunately for the Packers, help is on the way. Jordon Riley has been designated for return from the physically unable to perform list.
The Packers grabbed Riley off the Giants' practice squad late last season to help with the run defense. He was an immediate asset but suffered a torn Achilles in his fourth game with the team.
In the NFL, it's funny how things work out sometimes in terms of depth and injuries. Headed into the season, the Packers seemed to have one of those good-problems-to-have with the glut of talented defensive tackles.
Injuries, however, intervened. Now, the Packers are short on defensive tackles. There's timing. And then there's perfect timing. Riley's return could hardly have come at a better time.
Really, the only way the timing could have been better would have been for him to be a couple weeks into his comeback so he could play against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It's hard to believe the Packers would allow Riley to play after just one week of practice, but better late than never.
"He was here all summer long with our trainers and our strength staff. I don't want to speak for anybody, but it appears to me he's ahead of schedule and he will be a big bonus for us," coach Matt LaFleur said during training camp.
"I thought he did a really nice job. He's come in here, he's been a great teammate - and that's paramount. I think he's really fit into what we do here. So, I'm excited for when he does come back."
Riley was a seventh-round pick by the Giants in 2023. He played in 21 games during his first two seasons with them, including five starts in 2024.
He's listed as 6-foot-5 and 338 pounds.
"Just stopping the run," he said of what he'd add to the team when he joined the Packers last season. "We got so much talent in the pass rush, but we ain't going to get there if we don't stop the turn. So, I think I'll come in just stopping the run, making it my priority to stop the run, and then, obviously, first-, second-down pass, if that comes then making my rushes to go get a sack.
"But at the end of the day I feel like they brought me in to come stop the run. Like help out on that end and then let our edge rushers eat."
Four players were with the rehab group to start practice. That includes starting cornerback Keisean Nixon. He played all but the final eight snaps on Sunday's win over Chicago, exiting with other players at the 2-minute warning.
Also not practicing were cornerback Benjamin St-Juste and receiver Skyy Moore, who dropped out of the Chicago game with hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively. The fourth player was Hargrave, who will wind up on injured reserve.
Receiver Savion Williams, who was designated for return from injured reserve last week following a preseason ankle injury, was back on the field.
Also practicing on Wednesday after returning on Friday were left guard Aaron Banks (knee/toe) and guard/center Jacob Monk (quad).
"Yeah, I would say it's going to be pretty fluid," LaFleur said of handling Banks, who has played in only one-half of a game this season, given the success of his replacement, Laken Tomlinson. "We've got to see where he's at. He hasn't practiced in a really long time, and I think those other guys have come in and done a really good job."
At right guard, the success of Travis Glover the past two weeks appears to have carried over to the start of this week, with Glover getting the early work instead of Kevin Zeitler.
Without Moore, the Packers will have to sort out who will be back to return punts and kickoffs. Against Chicago, star receiver Matthew Golden returned punts and rookie receiver J. Michael Sturdivant joined Matthew Golden on kickoffs.
Given Golden's production on offense, would the Packers want to risk him in that role?
We'll kind of work through that through the course of the week," LaFleur said before practice. "Certainly, MG's value, he's so valuable as a wide receiver for us, but it could be a week-to-week thing with that."
Coming full circle at defensive tackle, the Packers will roll with starters Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks, nose tackle Jonathan Ford, rookie Chris McClellan and Campbell.
How much could Campbell reasonably contribute after a long layoff?
"We'll work that throughout the course of the week," LaFleur said. "If he's ready to go, he'll be in there; if not, we'll have to get somebody else ready to play."
There isn't anyone else, though. Undrafted rookie David Blay is the only player on the practice squad, and he only recently joined the team.
So, would the Packers have to line up with only four against Dallas' powerful offensive line?
"Potentially," LaFleur said. But, "That would be less than ideal."
SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as Packers Wednesday Update From Practice: Help Arrives in Nick of Time .
