GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The left ankle injury that Devonte Wyatt sustained in the Green Bay Packers' win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving will end the defensive tackle's season, coach Matt LaFleur said Monday.
Combine that with the lingering foot injury edge rusher Lukas Van Ness has not been able to come back from and the Packers' defensive line has gotten even thinner heading into Sunday's NFC North battle-for-first-place game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
Tests on Wyatt confirmed what LaFleur indicated after the game when he said, "It doesn't look good."
"Certainly he's a guy that's going to be pretty tough to replace," LaFleur said Monday. "I think it just falls on everybody else kind of raising the level of their game."
Wyatt, a first-round pick in 2022, is under contract through next season because the Packers picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. That is worth $12.938 million for the 2026 season unless the two sides agree to a long-term extension.
He became an even more important part of the Packers' defense when they traded defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys as part of the Micah Parsons deal shortly before the regular season. Wyatt had four sacks in 10 games this season and 27 tackles in all, including six for a loss. He missed two games earlier this season because of a knee injury.
Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks are expected to be the Packers' top two defensive tackles going forward, although Brooks missed the last game because of an ankle injury. The Packers also will lean on rookies Warren Brinson (sixth round) and Nazir Stackhouse (undrafted), who played together at the University of Georgia, to pick up some of the interior line snaps.
The Packers had hoped Van Ness, another first-round pick in 2023, would be back to full strength by now after he missed five games. Van Ness tried to come back Nov. 23 against the Minnesota Vikings but lasted just six defensive snaps and then was out for last week's game against the Lions.
Van Ness had a walking boot on his right foot Monday, and there is no timetable for his return yet.
"It just wasn't exactly where I wanted it to be," Van Ness told ESPN on Monday. "Was hoping to get back on the field and return to play, played a limited amount of snaps and it didn't feel quite right yet, so just back on the rehab plan and hoping I can turn the corner shortly. But until then, just rehab, work with the training staff and coaches, and hope I can get healthy soon."
There could be some help on the way. The Packers designated defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. to return to practice Monday. He has been on injured reserve since his groin injury in the opener.