Tag: devonte wyatt

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt returns to practice after missing 3 games

The Packers returned defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt to practice on Wednesday. He’s missed the last 3 games with an ankle injury.

The first step in Devonte Wyatt’s return to the playing field arrived Wednesday when the Green Bay Packers defensive lineman practiced for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in Week 4, according to Mike Spofford of the team’s official site.

Wyatt, a 2022 first-round pick, has missed the last three games. He led the team with 3.0 sacks and five quarterback hits during the first four weeks but was injured during the second half of the Packers’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 29.

Last week, coach Matt LaFleur expressed hope in Wyatt being able to return in some capacity this week. His return to the practice field on Wednesday keeps open the door for Wyatt playing Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Without Wyatt over the last three games, the Packers have relied on second-year defensive lineman Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden.

Per Spofford, Walker, cornerback Corey Ballentine, center Josh Myers and guard Elgton Jenkins weren’t practicing on Wednesday. Walker is in the concussion protocol coming out of last week’s win over the Houston Texans.

The Packers will release the first injury report of Week 8 later on Wednesday. Expect Wyatt to be listed as limited as the Packers ramp up his workload coming off an injury.

Packers lose WR Christian Watson and DL Devonte Wyatt to ankle injuries vs. Vikings

The Green Bay Packers lost wide receiver Christian Watson and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt to ankle injuries during Sunday’s 31-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings,

The Green Bay Packers lost wide receiver Christian Watson and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt to ankle injuries during Sunday’s 31-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Watson got his left foot trapped underneath a defender as he was awkwardly twisted to the ground while targeted in the first quarter. He was carted from the sideline to the locker room. Wyatt was injured along the line of scrimmage on a catch from Justin Jefferson in the fourth quarter — he walked back to the locker room under his own power. Neither returned to the game.

Coach Matt LaFleur said he talked to Watson, who believed his injury was a sprain. Per Jordan Schultz, the Packers believe Watson has a high-ankle sprain but more testing will be required on Monday. A high-ankle sprain would likely keep Watson out of the lineup for weeks.

Less is known about specific on Wyatt’s injury. Per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com, Wyatt was in a walking boot on his right ankle and using crutches in the post-game locker room.

Wyatt told Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s official site that he didn’t think the injury was serious, but an MRI is scheduled for Monday.

Watson saw only one target on Sunday. He caught two passes for 67 yards in the Packers’ Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans and has five catches for 80 yards and a score in four games in 2024.

Wyatt has been one of the Packers’ best and most important pass-rushers. He had two sacks against the Titans and currently leads the team with three total sacks. He had a tackle for loss on Sunday.

LaFleur will meet with the media again on Monday afternoon, so an update on both could be forthcoming. The Packers won’t provide an injury report for Week 5 until Wednesday. Green Bay goes on the road to play the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday. It’s possible Watson and Wyatt will both be unavailable for the contest. Short-term injured reserve — meaning a four-game absence — could be an option.

LaFleur did say the Packers don’t think Jaire Alexander’s groin injury — which kept him out Sunday — is a long-term issue.

It’s Devonte Wyatt time for Packers on Sunday vs. Vikings

Devonte Wyatt might be one of the most important players on the field for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday against the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings. 

Devonte Wyatt might be one of the most important players on the field for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday against the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings.

The interior disruptor needs to be as his pass-rushing best in a favorable matchup against the middle of the Vikings offensive line.

Sam Darnold is well protected by tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neil on the edges. In fact, Darrisaw and O’Neil might be one of the best pass-blocking tackle duos in football. Where it falls apart for the Vikings offensive is inside.

Center Garrett Bradbury has allowed 10 pressures, the second most among centers, per Pro Football Focus. Guard Ed Ingram has also allowed 10 pressures, the fifth most among guards.

Wyatt, a 2022 first-rounder, looks like one of the breakout interior defenders in the NFL to start this season. He has three sacks and nine pressures on 64 pass-rushing snaps through three games, plus six stops, or tackles creating a failure for the offense. Wyatt was disruptive as a second-year player in 2023, but he’s now converting opportunities for negative plays at a higher rate to start 2024.

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Wyatt — an explosive athlete at over 300 pounds who looks unleashed in Jeff Hafley’s aggressive, upfield scheme — must make the most of opportunities to beat Bradbury and Ingram on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The matchup is also a good chance for Kenny Clark to break out of a mini-slump to start the year. He’s been quiet against the run and only so-so as a pass-rusher. Clark has historically done very well against Bradbury in previous matchups. Karl Brooks is another interior disruptor who could benefit on Sunday.

Darnold has been a revelation as a starting quarterback for Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings, and former Packers running back Aaron Jones is enjoying a terrific start (325 total yards, two touchdowns) with his new team. Add in all-world receiver Justin Jefferson and the Packers will have their hands full with a Vikings offense that is third in points scored and averaging 6.0 yards per play in 2024.

Wyatt must be a game-wrecker. In a new scheme, he’s blossoming into the disruptive force the Packers expected. But games like Sunday’s against the Vikings — a key divisional matchup early in the year — are where great players must take over. Can Wyatt dominate in a plus matchup and help the Packers score a big win in the NFC North?

Packers’ Devonte Wyatt ranked among PFF’s top-32 DTs

PFF put together its ranking of the top-32 defensive tackles ahead of the 2024 season. On the list was the Packers’ Devonte Wyatt.

Pro Football Focus recently put together their list of the top-32 interior defensive linemen ahead of the 2024 season. Coming in at No. 29 on the list was the Green Bay Packers’ Devonte Wyatt.

At the top of the list was Chris Jones, followed by Dexter Lawrence, Quinnen Williams, Derrick Brown, and Cameron Heyward. Just ahead of Wyatt at Nos. 27 and 28 were Kenny Clark and Grady Jarrett.

Here is what PFF had to say about Wyatt and his ranking:

After barely featuring in his rookie season, Wyatt was far better in Year 2, particularly at rushing the passer. He racked up 48 quarterback pressures, including the playoffs, adding 26 defensive stops and playing almost 650 total snaps. Wyatt has the juice to be a very disruptive interior pass-rusher.

As mentioned, Wyatt was featured much more heavily in his second NFL season. Wyatt’s 48 pressures were the fourth-most on the team and 20th among all interior defenders. He would rank 12th in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric as well.

Wyatt would total 5.5 sacks, but that figure realistically could have been closer to double-digits had Wyatt been able to finish off some of those pressure opportunities.

A real jump in production is again possible for Wyatt. In part because of the experience gained last season, but also, this new one-gap system under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley better suits Wyatt’s skill set and is very similar to what he was asked to do at Georgia.

Under Joe Barry, the defensive front was asked to occupy two-gaps, which consisted of reading what the offensive line and backfield were doing, and then defending the gap that appeared to be the most vulnerable.

In Hafley’s defense, however, this is an attacking front, where it is the defenders’ job to get north or south and into the backfield as quickly as possible. The end result is hopefully a more proactive and disruptive defensive front.

“Devonte Wyatt, I think he’s going to thrive in this defense,” said Packers VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan. “Where you can kind of just pin your ears back, get off the ball. That’s what he was at Georgia — quick, work edges, penetrate, disrupt. I think there’s a bunch of guys who are going to benefit from what we’re doing.”

Improved play from the Packers’ defense as a whole starts with the play up front. More consistency is needed from a pass rush perspective after the Packers ran very hot and cold last season when it came to getting after the quarterback. This was also a run defense unit that surrendered four games of 200-plus rushing yards and ranked 23rd in yards per carry.

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt with chance to ‘thrive’ in Jeff Hafley’s defense

As the Packers defense makes a transition under new coordinator Jeff Hafley, Devonte Wyatt has the chance to ‘thrive’ in this new system.

When vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan was answering questions about the Green Bay Packers’ Day 3 draft picks, he went out of his way to bring up a current player on the roster who he believes is going to greatly benefit from Jeff Hafley’s defense: Devonte Wyatt.

“Devonte Wyatt, I think he’s going to thrive in this defense,” said Sullivan. “Where you can kind of just pin your ears back, get off the ball. That’s what he was at Georgia — quick, work edges, penetrate, disrupt. I think there’s a bunch of guys who are going to benefit from what we’re doing.”

In his second NFL season in 2023, Wyatt saw much more steady playing time and was able to get after the quarterback regularly. He totaled 48 pressures, which was the fourth-most on the team and 20th overall among his position group.

Wyatt also recorded 5.5 sacks, although that figure could have been a lot higher if he was able to finish off some of those pressures. He would rank 12th among all interior defenders in pass rush win rate, although run defense is an area where he has to continue to improve.

Recently, Kenny Clark mentioned that Hafley’s defensive system will be really good for the interior defensive line, allowing them to be “way more disruptive.” Former Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels said the role of the interior defenders in this type of defense will be “simplified.”

In Joe Barry’s 3-4 defense, the interior defenders were responsible for two gaps, having to read the offensive line and the ball carrier, deciphering which gap was more vulnerable, and then trying to fill that void. Interior defenders in this style of defense are often space eaters, and it’s their job to help the linebackers and edge rushers make plays.

On the flip side, in Hafley’s system, the interior defenders are responsible for only one gap, allowing them to “cut loose” and get upfield, creating what is hopefully a more proactive than reactive approach along the defensive front.

This is a Packers defense in 2023 that ranked 23rd in yards per carry allowed, which included four games with the opponent rushing for more than 200 yards. The pass rush was also very hot and cold.

Sustained success for any defense begins with the interior defensive line. The best way to wreck any play for an offense is with quick pressure up the middle. When the defensive front is playing well, every other player on the defense benefits.

A jump from Wyatt in Year 3, due to his continued development along with benefitting from Hafley’s defense, could lead to a very productive and highly disruptive season from him after what we saw in 2023.

Consistent pressure from Packers DL Devonte Wyatt turning into sacks

Devonte Wyatt is turning pressure into sacks down the stretch for the Packers in 2023.

Green Bay Packers second-year interior defender Devonte Wyatt has been around the quarterback all season, but in the last few weeks, the pressure is turning into sack production.

Perhaps in somewhat of an under-the-radar season, Wyatt finished with 45 pressures, which is tied for the 19th most out of all interior defenders across the NFL. And he did this while playing under 50 percent of the Packers’ total defensive snaps this season.

To be that productive when part of a heavily rotated position requires the player to win their matchups consistently, something Wyatt did. According to PFF, Wyatt had a pass rush win rate of 15.4 percent, good for the sixth-best mark among his position group.

“I think it’s a testament to the kid,” said defensive coordinator Joe Barry on Thursday. “I talk about it all the time, just guys improving from Year 1 to Year 2. Daily improvement. He shows up every day, grinds, and works. It’s paid off for him with the numbers.”

However, despite frequently being around the quarterback, those pressures weren’t turning into sacks for Wyatt for a large portion of the season.

Through Week 14, Wyatt registered just three sacks, with 1.5 of them coming in the first game of the season against Chicago. Whether he was unable to bring the quarterback down or just a split second late, those high-pressure numbers weren’t being converted into sacks.

While sacks may be the ultimate goal for any pass rusher, pressures are incredibly valuable. In fact, within the Packers’ building, they measure pass rush success off of that aspect instead of sacks.

Pressure leads to disruption. It can force the quarterback to hurry, disrupt the timing and rhythm of the play, and get the passer off his spot. All this can then lead to mistakes.

But in the last two games, water has begun to find its level, as they say, for Wyatt. When a player is around the quarterback as consistently as Wyatt has been this season, eventually, the sacks will come. In the last two weeks, Wyatt has totaled 2.5 sacks–nearly matching his season total coming into those games.

“I think D-Wy finished with 5.5 (sacks), if I’m not mistaken,” added Barry. “I hate when coaches say he could have had three or four sacks, but when you look at it, D-Wy missed a legitimate five sacks this year. He was very close to having a 10-sack year. It was great to see the way he finished.”

Although there were two rookies on the Packers’ interior defensive line seeing significant playing time in 2023, Wyatt, in Year 2, was still going through a learning curve as a young player, especially when you consider that he played only 21 percent of the defensive snaps as a rookie. Being able to finish the play was likely a part of that.

We often hear about the Year 2 leap for second-year players, and Wyatt very much made that jump as a pass rusher. He has been a steady disruptor this season.

Right now, the interior defensive line unit as a whole is playing its best football of the season. Over the last month against the run, the Packers are allowing fewer than 4.0 yards per carry, while in the last two games in particular, they’ve done a great job generating push up the middle, contributing to higher quarterback pressure numbers as a team.

When the defensive front can control the line of scrimmage, the defense has a good chance of controlling the game.

“I just think guys are getting better,” said Kenny Clark after the win over Chicago. “We got two rookies, TJ’s in this third, D-Wy in his second year. All young guys that are going to continue to get better and they’ve been getting better each and every week.

“You got these guys that got a hell of an ability. TJ can stop the run with the best of them. D-Wy (Devonte Wyatt), Colby (Wooden), and KB (Karl Brooks), those guys can rush and rush they asses off and explosive in the run game and be disruptive. You’ve got a good combination of guys and when you put that work in the only thing you can do is get better.”

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt carted back to locker room with knee injury

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt was carted back to the locker room after sustaining a knee injury on Sunday in Denver.

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt needed to be carted back to the locker room for further evaluation after injuring his right knee in the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup with the Denver Broncos.

Wyatt is currently questionable to return. The 2022 first-round pick battled a knee injury at practice this week and was questionable to play on Sunday.

It’s possible the Packers will rule out Wyatt for the rest of the contest after evaluating the knee injury.

Update: The Packers ruled out Wyatt to start the second half.

Wyatt was injured on a third-down play. He walked off the field and was evaluated in the medical tent before getting on a cart to leave the field.

The second-year defensive lineman came into Sunday ranked second on the Packers defense in total pressures with 17. His departure will mean more snaps for rookies Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks next to Kenny Clark and TJ Slaton.

Packers film room: Reviewing Devonte Wyatt’s encouraging Week 1 performance

Highlighting several of the most impressive plays from Devonte Wyatt’s encouraging season opener against the Bears.

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt was one of the most dominant players on the field during the team’s Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears. Wyatt logged a team-high six pressures and totaled three tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Sunday’s performance was precisely what the Packers had in mind when they drafted him in the first round of last year’s draft. As a rookie, Wyatt had a limited role on defense but has experienced a ton of improvement over the past year. He appeared to be a much more polished and confident player in the season opener and could be the perfect complement to Pro Bowler Kenny Clark.

However, despite coming off his most impactful game as a pro, Wyatt still wants to see what he can improve upon. The best way to do that, he says, is to watch the film.

“Watch the tape, see what you did, and see what you can get better at because you always have room for improvement,” Wyatt said. “That’s my goal. Just watch this film and see what I can improve at because I’ll say I started off kind of slow for me, but I want to watch film so I can start off fast and not have a slow start.”

Coincidentally, we are also going to review Wyatt’s tape from the Bears game to break down what went into his impressive pass-rushing performance.

Let’s begin.

This first play perfectly encapsulates Wyatt as your prototypical three-tech. When he puts it all together, he has the necessary explosiveness, play strength, and technique to quickly beat the man across from him. After a good initial punch, Wyatt uses a jerk move into a club arm-over to gain a clear path to the quarterback. Unfortunately, Justin Fields is one of the best running quarterbacks in the league, so Wyatt can’t get the sack, but it was still a great rep.

Another near-sack for Wyatt, but on a different type of rush. Green Bay used a ton of stunts to generate pressure against Fields and this was one of them. Here, we see Wyatt as the penetrator using speed and effective hand usage to get around the edge. Even though Wyatt doesn’t quite get to Fields, he does his job to force an inaccurate throw that falls incomplete.

The game is slowing down for Wyatt and his knowledge of opposing schemes is also improving. He might be unblocked on this play, but it is still an excellent read to not fall for the play-action. Wyatt never takes his eyes off the ball and shows good closing speed to get there before Fields can finish carrying out the fake. Well done.

The Packers run a three-man stunt, but Wyatt doesn’t have a clear path to the quarterback as the looper. Meanwhile, Fields can’t find an open receiver and decides to run. Wyatt shows good awareness and effort to get back into the play and help with the tackle. However, he takes it a step further and helps turn this into a turnover for the defense. You can see Wyatt’s right hand help punch the ball out for a fumble that Green Bay recovers. Clark was officially credited with the forced fumble, but Wyatt had a hand in it as well.

Bonus Clip

Wyatt wasn’t just disruptive as a pass rusher against the Bears. He also flashed as a run defender in this rep of him knocking the right guard back into the path of the ball carrier for a stop in the backfield. If Wyatt can also become a force in the run game, he will be on his way to becoming one of the defense’s better all-around players.

Conclusion

Throughout training camp, there was talk of Wyatt making a second-year jump and we saw it come to fruition in Week 1. Wyatt showed why he was a first-round pick with his strength and explosiveness while topping it off with good technique. These traits could turn him into not just a productive pass rusher for Green Bay’s defense but potentially a dominant one. Wyatt still needs to keep working on his craft and prove he can do it consistently, but there is reason to be excited about his future after this performance.

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt was super disruptive in Week 1 win over Bears

The Packers need a big second-year jump from Devonte Wyatt. So far so good after one week. Wyatt was a big-time disruptor vs. the Bears.

The Green Bay Packers came into the season needing a second-year jump out of defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt. It’s safe to say the 2022 first-round pick is off to a good start following a super disruptive performance in the team’s Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wyatt led all Packers with six quarterback pressures. He also recorded three tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. One of his sacks resulted in an 11-yard loss for the Bears, while the other half-sack — with some help from Kenny Clark– caused Justin Fields to fumble into Green Bay’s possession.

“It felt good,” Wyatt said in the locker room afterward. “That was the whole plan to disrupt them and don’t let Fields get comfortable. Keep him in the pocket, make him be a quarterback and don’t let him use his feet.”

Sunday’s game was precisely what the Packers had in mind when they thrust Wyatt into a starting role this offseason. They knew they would have to count on him during the regular season, and by the time training camp rolled around, it was clear he was a different player.

“He’s way ahead of a year ago,” fellow defensive lineman T.J. Slaton said of Wyatt during camp. “I feel like his hands are better. His get-off is way faster and I feel like the game has really slowed down for him. He’s seeing things almost in slow motion.

All of Slaton’s remarks about Wyatt came to be true in the season opener. His hands and feet appeared to be sharper than they were a year ago and his processing skills were improved. Wyatt won multiple reps where it felt like he was in the backfield almost instantly. Also, on the 11-yard sack, he made a great read to not fall for the play-action and was there before Fields could even finish carrying out the fake.

The Packers have one of the best young pass-rushing units in the NFL this year and Wyatt is set to be at the forefront in 2023. Next, he has to start doing it consistently, but it’s encouraging to know he is already trying to improve upon what he did in Chicago.

“Watch the tape, see what you did, and see what you can get better at because you always have room for improvement,” said Wyatt. “That’s my goal. Just watch this film and see what I can improve at because I’ll say I started off kind of slow for me, but I want to watch film so I can start off fast and not have a slow start.”

Flashes turning to consistency for Packers interior DL Devonte Wyatt

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt keeps showing signs of the second-year leap.

The initial flashes that we saw from Devonte Wyatt early on in training camp are now becoming much more consistent, an important development for an inexperienced Packers interior defensive line room with some unknowns around it.

Wyatt has had several reps where he shoots through the gap and is in the backfield in what feels like the blink of an eye. We are also seeing his athleticism on display with his burst at the snap and ability to pursue the quarterback and flow sideline-to-sideline with the ball carrier. These types of plays are now happening fairly regularly at this point.

Wyatt played just over 20 percent of the defensive snaps in his rookie season, buried on the depth chart behind Kenny Clark, Jarran Reed, and Dean Lowry. Most of those snaps came in the final weeks, where he was able to record five pressures and two sacks in four games. He has now carried that momentum over to Year 2, which is oftentimes when we see young players make a big jump, in part due to their comfortability and understanding of their responsibilities within the system. Wyatt certainly appears to be one of those players making that leap.

“I think that’s one of those positions that naturally takes a little bit of time, the interior D-line,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “Just because there are some new moves and whatnot. But I think more than anything else, the growth for him is he’s got a really good handle on what we are asking him to do. He’s certainly flashed throughout the course of practices we’ve had thus far. Expect him to continue to build upon that and get better each day.”

While Wyatt’s performance has been a big factor in the overall play of the interior defensive line unit through two-and-a-half weeks of training camp practices, the group as a whole has looked very good. Running the ball between the tackles has been difficult for the offense — there just aren’t many running lanes, or at least not ones that are open for very long. This unit has also been able to generate a consistent push overall, impacting the passing game as well.

This position group looks a lot faster than in years past. This is a product of Wyatt seeing more playing time, along with the additions of Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, but TJ Slaton recently said that a point of emphasis for the interior defensive line with run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery has been their get-off at the snap.

Where Wyatt has really shined so far has been as a pass rusher, but it’s going to be important that he, along with everyone else within that position group, are able to hold up against the run. This is where success for the Packers’ defense begins. If they keep opposing offenses behind the sticks, it allows the pass rush to get after the quarterback and the secondary to play more aggressively. However, if opponents are picking up five or six yards a carry — which often happened in 2022 — it opens up the playbook for the offense and keeps the defense guessing and on its heels.

“He finished the season off really good,” said Kenny Clark about Wyatt during offseason programs. “That Lions’ game, he balled out, for sure, against a really good offensive line. He’s always going to be a great pass rusher as long as he keeps on developing. The biggest thing is he has to learn the technique with the run. That’s what myself, coach are trying to push each other to do. Just helping him learn the technique of how we play the run and the mentality you need to have as a three-down player.”

Brian Gutekunst recently said that Wyatt, along with Clark and TJ Slaton, are going to be the anchors of this defensive front. When the Packers are in their base 3-4 defense, it has been those three on the field. When in nickel, and there are only two interior defenders on the field, it has largely been Clark and Slaton on early downs or Clark and Wyatt in passing situations.

Like many young players, it’s about consistency from Wyatt and now carrying that established momentum into the preseason and eventually the regular season, where he is going to play a key role, not only in the performance of the interior defensive line but how that group holds up will have a major impact on the overall performance on the entire defensive unit.

“He’s way ahead of a year ago,” said Slaton of Wyatt. “I feel like his hands are better. His get off is way faster and I feel like the game has really slowed down for him. He’s seeing things almost in slow motion.

“We just want to keep praising him to keep going because we need him to be big for us.”