Paul Bretl | 6/24/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — When talking about the need for more consistency from the Packers’ defensive front, a key part of that equation will be the play of fourth-year defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
“Very excited, man,” Wyatt said during minicamp. “Just to see what I can do this year, what I can bring, and what I improved in during the offseason through all the training I’ve been doing.”
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘Paul Bretl’ for more Packers coverage.
Last season in particular, we got a glimpse of the impact that Wyatt can have, but now it’s about sustaining that success over the course of a full season.
Through the Packers’ first three games of 2024, Wyatt was off to a red-hot start. During that stretch, he totaled nine pressures, three sacks, and six tackles for loss. For some context, Wyatt ranked 10th among all defensive tackles in pressures, he was tied for first in sacks, and he was fifth in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric.
Unfortunately, an ankle injury sustained in Week 4 against Minnesota would derail that start to the season. Wyatt missed the next three games and upon his return, his production dipped. Over the next six games, from Weeks 8-14, Wyatt had just nine pressures, two sacks, and no tackles for loss.
“I don’t like speaking on it. I’m more of a go-out-there-and-show-you type of guy,” Wyatt said of his production last season. “But I’m pretty sure I would’ve had a great year if I didn’t get no injuries.”
Wyatt then added: “I did some things to help me with that. just working on more ankle mobilities, drinking more water, just healthier things to help my body.”
However, despite the dip in production during the middle portion of Wyatt’s season, he would finish the year on a higher note. During Green Bay’s final four regular season games, he totaled 14 pressures–the seventh-most during that span–and two sacks.
Wyatt has showcased his ability to get after the quarterback, but with TJ Slaton now in Cincinnati, he will presumably have to take on a larger role in the run game this season as well.
Through his first three NFL seasons, the overwhelming majority of Wyatt’s snaps have come during passing situations, where he can get after the quarterback. That was a luxury that the Packers had with Slaton on the roster and on the field during those more obvious running situations. But now those snaps will have to be absorbed by Wyatt, as well as Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks.
When on the field for running plays last season, Wyatt did hold up well, according to PFF’s metrics, ranking sixth among defensive tackles in run stop rate, with his averaged depth of tackle being less than a yard from the line of scrimmage.
“Really just I would say on my run game a little more and just really attacking the man,” said Wyatt on where he wants to improve this season. “That’s it, really. Just being more violent.”
Wyatt’s continued ascension will be an important factor when it comes to the Packers getting after the quarterback with more regularity–something that is a must this season. While on paper, they were top 10 in sacks and around the middle of the pack in pressures, the defensive front was aided by Jeff Hafley dialing up blitzes and simulated pressures regularly, along with stuffing the stat sheet against lesser opponents.
So perhaps a more accurate portrayal of the defensive front’s performance last season in regards to getting after the quarterback is ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric, which had the Packers ranked 26th.
“Man, just staying healthy and just staying hungry and keep building on what he’s been building on,” Kenny Clark said of Wyatt. “I think if he didn’t get hurt, I think just what he was going to do was going to be huge. He was making a lot of plays and all that kind of stuff, so just keeping that same mentality, keep working, keep grinding and yeah just keep on improving and he’ll be all right.”
The Packers picked up Wyatt’s fifth-year option for the 2026 season earlier this offseason, illustrating the belief that the team has in him to continue making progress.
Of course, the overall success of the pass rush and defense as a whole doesn’t solely fall on Wyatt’s shoulders, but he will play an important role in determining how high the ceiling is for these units. Performing at the level he did early on in 2024 and late in the year for a full season can come with a massive impact, not to mention that when there is a steady push from the interior defensive line, every other defender on the field benefits from that player’s presence with the pressure they generate, the mismatches they create, and the blockers they occupy.
“It’s crazy how fast this goes,” Matt LaFleur said of Wyatt entering his fourth NFL season. “I think he’s had some moments where he’s been outstanding, and I think we can build on that. I think he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, throughout the course of the offseason. I think he’s in a much better place, and I think that he’ll be ready to go. Again, another guy that I expect to go out there and play his best ball going into Year Four.”