The Green Bay Packers have been able to stack wins through the first seven weeks of the season, logging a 4-1-1 record. With a showdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football on the horizon, finding a way to get Matthew Golden more involved in the offense should be one of the offense's top priorities.
Green Bay simply won't be able to outscore its opponent to keep its winning ways alive, though. The defense will play a key role in slowing down this Pittsburgh side. This Steelers team will undoubtedly be a tough matchup, but the Packers could be getting some reinforcements back in time for the action. Head coach Matt LaFleur spoke to the media on Wednesday and revealed that Devonte Wyatt will return to practice today, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
This is a great step forward for a defense that could use Wyatt's presence back along the interior.
Devonte Wyatt Will Return to Practice on Wednesday for Packers
Wyatt injured his knee in Green Bay's Week 4 contest against the Dallas Cowboys. That led to him missing the games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. The bye week was also sprinkled in there, so he had about three weeks off to rest.
It'll be interesting to see how Wyatt's knee responds to getting back on the field. Thursday and Friday's practices will continue to paint a clearer picture, but this is what the Packers want to see.
Before going down, Wyatt was really finding his groove and was making plays up front. In four games, he has six total tackles, two sacks, 13 total pressures, nine QB hurries, and two batted passes. In addition, Wyatt has a 72.6 overall grade (33rd among 196 graded defensive linemen) and a 79.2 pass-rush grade (11th among 196 graded defensive linemen) on Pro Football Focus.
Although he missed two games, Wyatt is still third on the team in sacks, trailing Rashan Gary and Micah Parsons. The duo of Parsons and Gary coming off the edge puts opposing offensive lines in a bind and creates more one-on-one opportunities for Wyatt.
If the Packers can get the Georgia product back in the fold, it'll boost a pass rush that's currently tied for seventh in the NFL in team sacks (18). In his absence, Green Bay increased defensive tackle Karl Brooks' workload. He's played in at least 68% of the defensive snaps in the past two games, logging just seven total tackles and six QB hurries. Last week against the Cardinals, he finished with a season-best 70.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
The Packers will still have Brooks active in the defensive line rotation, but having Wyatt back in the fold makes this defense that more frightening.