The Green Bay Packers made it a point of emphasis on Wednesday to bolster their defensive tackle group after a much-maligned performance in 2025. To kick off the new league year, the Packers brought back Jonathan Ford, and quickly signed former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a two-year, $23 million deal ($13 million guaranteed) after he was released, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In the days leading up to the start of the new league year and free agency, it was reported that Minnesota would part with Hargrave and it made sense for the Packers to sign him. They need help at defensive tackle and Hargrave has a tie to new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
With these two additions, plus the guys already on the roster, things are starting to look up. However, Karl Brooks, who was called upon to step up once Devonte Wyatt went down last season, could be fighting for snaps with Hargrave’s arrival.
Karl Brooks’ Role Could Be Vastly Different with Javon Hargrave’s Arrival
Last season, the former sixth-round pick started in a career-high seven games after not starting in his first two years despite appearing in 34 games. The 25-year-old defensive lineman played 59% of defensive snaps and made the most of his opportunity.
Brooks recorded 28 combined tackles, five quarterback hits, a pass deflection, a tackle for loss, and a half sack. Seeing Brooks only pick up a half sack was notable, considering that he posted 7.5 sacks through his first two years with the Packers.
That being said, Brooks was quite still productive in the pass-rushing department for Green Bay, racking up 29 pressures, per PFF. However, his pass-rush grade was a 58.2, which was lower than 2024 (61.1) and 2023 (70.0).
At the same time, the former Bowling Green defensive lineman wasn’t great at stopping the run last season, which has been a common occurrence in his career. According to PFF, Brooks had a 38.9 grade across 238 run defense snaps.
In his first two years, Brooks had 46.8 and 39.7 run defense grades. His numbers got worse the more time he was on the field. With Gannon taking over, maybe Brooks can turn things around, which he needs to do as he’ll be a free agent after the 2026 season.
But Hargrave will likely eat into Brooks' snaps, as he was solid in the pass rush department for the Vikings with a 70 grade, which is impressive for a nose tackle. His run defense wasn’t great, but a 57.3 grade is better than what Green Bay has gotten from Brooks through three years.
Last season with the Vikings, the 33-year-old Hargrave produced 52 combined tackles, 10 QB pressures, six QB hits, four tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. If Hargrave has a similar statline this upcoming season, it's going to be hard for Brooks to make an impact.
And something to keep in mind is that when Gannon coached Hargrave in 2021 and 2022, he produced 18.5 sacks. Therefore, it will be up to Brooks to show vast improvement in training camp and preseason to force Gannon’s hand.