The Green Bay Packers have a serious problem on defense after two front-line players were placed in the concussion protocol Wednesday, raising fresh doubts about their availability for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets.
Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave both appeared on the team’s first injury report of the week with head injuries. Van Ness was listed with a concussion. Hargrave was listed with a knee injury and a concussion.
Neither issue was flagged as a major in-game story Sunday, when Green Bay lost 39-22 to the Minnesota Vikings. That is what made Wednesday’s report so unsettling for a defense already missing one of its most important players.
ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky wrote, “Lukas Van Ness and Javon Hargrave in the concussion protocol. Must’ve come up after the game.”
Both players practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. That is better than sitting out entirely, but it does not mean they are close to being cleared. The NFL’s concussion protocol is independent of a coach’s wish list. A player has to pass a series of checks before he can play again.
That uncertainty is a major concern in Green Bay. Van Ness is the Packers’ most important remaining edge rusher while Micah Parsons recovers from a torn ACL and remains on the physically unable to perform list. If Van Ness cannot go, the outside rush becomes even thinner than it already is.
Van Ness was one of the few bright spots in the season opener. He finished with four solo tackles and a sack and led the team with three pressures. His last meaningful defensive snap came late, on the play that helped Minnesota finish the game.
Hargrave’s situation is different but still troubling. He played fewer snaps and had one tackle against the Vikings. He is now dealing with two issues at once, and the concussion is the one that can keep him out even if the knee settles down.
The Packers cannot treat either absence as a minor rotation tweak. Green Bay has only four edge players on the 53-man roster. Behind Van Ness, the group includes Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr. and Dani Dennis-Sutton. Sorrell was already limited Wednesday with a foot injury.
The interior line is not much healthier. Devonte Wyatt practiced on a limited basis with an ankle injury. Warren Brinson did not practice at all because of a calf problem that has lingered since the preseason. If Hargrave and Wyatt are both limited or out, the middle of the defense loses size and disruption at the same time.
That combination would be hard to hide against the Jets. Green Bay is 0-1 and heading back on the road. A defense that already gave up 39 points last week cannot afford to lose two of its most physical linemen without feeling it.
Concussions also do not follow a clean timetable. Some players clear the protocol in a few days. Others need more time. The Packers will get another look Thursday and Friday, but Wednesday’s report already changed the tone of the week.
The rest of the injury list only adds to the unease. Left guard Aaron Banks and offensive lineman Zach Bako-Bewele were limited with knee injuries. Linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper was limited with an Achilles issue. Cornerback Brandon Cisse practiced in full after dealing with cramps.
Banks missed the opener, so his limited work at least offers a sliver of hope on offense. The defensive news does not offer the same comfort. The Packers can replace a backup. They cannot easily replace Van Ness and Hargrave in the same week.
Coach Matt LaFleur and the medical staff will keep working through the protocol steps. Until those two players are cleared, Green Bay has to plan as if Sunday’s front seven could look very different from the one that lined up in Minnesota.
That is the real worry. The Packers did not just pick up two extra names on an injury report. They picked up two starters whose availability now sits at the center of the Week 2 plan.
If either player sits, Green Bay’s pass rush and interior push will have to come from a thinner group. If both sit, the concern becomes much larger than one road game.
Thursday’s practice will be the next checkpoint. For now, the Packers are staring at a defensive problem they did not expect when the week began.
