GREEN BAY – Sitting at his locker last Monday with an orthopedic boot on his left foot, Devonte Wyatt was still wearing the aftereffects of the first major injury of his career.
The fourth-year defensive lineman saw a promising season end abruptly after sustaining a significant ankle and leg injury in Detroit on Thanksgiving.
The past seven weeks haven't been easy, but Wyatt has found a way to keep smiling.
"It's been tough," Wyatt said. "I wish I was there but kind of talked to God about it, talked to my family about it. Now I'm in a better space."
The 2022 first-round pick was off to yet another strong season before injuries mounted. First, Wyatt missed two games in October due to a knee injury suffered against Dallas in Week 4.
Once he started regaining form, Wyatt then broke his fibula and suffered torn ligaments in his ankle late in the Packers' thrilling 31-24 Thanksgiving win over the Lions. Wyatt said he's facing a three-to-five-month recovery timeline.
Despite missing the final five games of the season, Wyatt still finished third on Green Bay's defense with four sacks to push his career total to 16 in 57 NFL regular-season games.
The injury has been eye-opening for Wyatt. It has reminded him how much he loves not only the game of football but also his teammates.
After three years shadowing three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark, Wyatt moved to the head of the table in the defensive line room after Clark was sent to Dallas as part of the trade that brought perennial All-Pro Micah Parsons to Green Bay in late August.
Wyatt took that responsibility seriously – both with his play on the field and inside in a young position room. Until former linemate Jonathan Ford re-joined the team in late December, Wyatt was Green Bay's only interior defensive lineman older than 25 years old on the active roster.
"When they see me, they be like, 'Oh man, we miss you D-Wy,'" Wyatt said. "It makes me feel better knowing they miss me, knowing my guys miss me."
One player with whom Wyatt has built a bond in the training room is Parsons, who's currently rehabbing from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered last month in Denver.
Parsons was a vocal supporter of Wyatt from the moment he came to Green Bay, frequently mentioning the impact Wyatt had in the interior and how his efforts complemented the edge rush.
When Wyatt went down in Detroit, Parsons didn't equivocate while discussing in the post-game locker room how devastating the loss of the 6-foot-3, 304-pound defensive lineman was for the defense moving forward.
"You guys see the difference he makes when he got back out on the field. He's a player you can't replace," said Parsons on Thanksgiving. "It's going to be challenging but we're going to have to really dial into our details, our fundamentals to try to replace someone that's unreplaceable."
The Packers mixed and matched personnel after Wyatt's departure, but their struggles were reflected in the superlatives.
Statistically, the defense ranked fourth in total yards, six vs. the pass, eighth vs. the run and sixth in scoring before Wyatt's injury. For the season, Green Bay finished 12th in total defense, 18th against the run and 11th in both pass and scoring defense.
While many factors played into that, it's obvious the toll injuries took on the defense during the final month of the year. As he works his way back, Wyatt wants to be part of the solution.
Green Bay exercised Wyatt's fifth-year option last summer, guaranteeing he'll return for another year, and the burgeoning defensive lineman wants it all – from Pro Bowls to Super Bowls.
He just needs that ankle to heal up. Once it does, Wyatt feels like there is boundless potential for himself and this defense.
"Me personally, I know I got a lot more in the tank," Wyatt said. "I feel like I got a lot more in the tank than what I put out there this year or the past three years. I know I have a lot more and I feel like this injury right here really is going to help me get above this hump, just showing y'all what I have."
