Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave is believed to have torn his Achilles tendon in the closing minutes of Sunday’s 31-7 rout of the Chicago Bears, head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game, an injury that would almost certainly end the veteran’s season.
The loss would land on a defense that is already down one of its best young players. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper tore his Achilles a week earlier at Tampa Bay, so the Packers could be without two starting-caliber defenders for the rest of the year after back-to-back weeks of bad luck.
Hargrave went down in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field with the game long decided. He was pursuing Chicago quarterback Case Keenum when he fell without being touched, and he left on a cart.
LaFleur did not hide his disappointment when he met reporters. He said the first signs pointed to the Achilles, that the injury “doesn’t look good,” and described the end of an otherwise dominant afternoon as bittersweet. The team has not announced the results of any scan, and no roster move had been made by Sunday night.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur speaks to the media🎙️ https://t.co/zdNVDKO5m4
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 11, 2026
A veteran signing cut short
Green Bay added Hargrave in free agency this year on a two-year contract after the Minnesota Vikings released him. At 33, he is in his 11th NFL season and with his fifth club, following stops in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Minnesota. He was a Pro Bowl pick in 2021 with the Eagles and in 2023 with the 49ers, and he brought 49 career sacks into the season.
His first year in Green Bay had already been interrupted. Sunday was only his fourth appearance of 2026 after a knee problem and a concussion, and he had one tackle and one hit on the quarterback against the Bears before he was hurt.
Thin bodies up front
Without Hargrave, the Packers’ interior rotation leans on Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks, with Jonathan Ford, first-year lineman Chris McClellan and Anthony Campbell behind them; Campbell has been nursing an ankle injury. Warren Brinson is already on injured reserve with a groin injury, while the season is already over for wideout Jayden Reed and for Zach Bako-Bewele, the starting right tackle.
The defense that will have to absorb the blow was excellent on Sunday. Xavier McKinney intercepted two passes and Ty’Ron Hopper added a third as Green Bay forced five turnovers and held Chicago to a single touchdown. Jordan Love completed 25 of 31 passes for 367 yards, and Christian Watson caught six balls for 143 yards and two scores. The full numbers are in the Game Center, and the club’s latest designations will appear on our injury report.
What comes next
The Packers, now 3-2 and level with the Bears, host the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on Sunday, October 18, at 8:20 p.m. EDT. A placement on injured reserve would be the expected next step once the diagnosis is confirmed.
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