Injuries are inevitable in any sport, especially one as violent and physical as football, but the Green Bay Packers must wonder when they'll catch a break.
It's not about quantity or that the Packers get more injuries than other teams – according to Stick to the Model, Green Bay ranks 16th in the league for average games missed by starters since the start of 2021.
However, over the past year, it's who the Packers have lost and the devastating nature of the injuries they have suffered. Season-ending injuries to Micah Parsons and Zach Bako-Bewele played a significant role in Green Bay's collapse last year, and the team's awful luck has only continued since then.
A timeline of Packers' significant injuries, and how it has left them reeling
November 2, 2025: Tucker Kraft suffers a torn ACL
Current status: Healthy, but still yet to recapture his best form
Losing Tucker Kraft was a significant blow to the Packers' offense last season, and one could argue they're still feeling the effects now. Kraft was one of the team's only receivers who could punish defenses after the catch. His physicality and athleticism are a tough combination to contend with.
The Packers desperately missed Kraft in the second half of their playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. Unable to sustain a drive and drain time off the clock, having Kraft and his ability to bulldoze defenders could've helped the offense stay ahead of the sticks. The run game was unable to do that.
Kraft is back in the lineup and fully healthy, but he's yet to rediscover the elite level he reached last season.
Per Pro Football Reference, Kraft already has five drops, which ties a career high. He has a woeful drop rate of 20.8 percent. That is easy enough to clean up, but Kraft isn't piling up yards after the catch like we know he can – he's averaging 15 receptions per broken tackle, which is three times more than last season's 5.3.
November 27, 2025: Devonte Wyatt suffers a broken fibula
Current status: Healthy, but still yet to recapture his best form
It's a similar story for Devonte Wyatt, who was one of the Packers' most disruptive pass rushers last season but is struggling to lay a glove on opposing quarterbacks this year.
Wyatt suffered a broken fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle during the Packers' win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Before that, he was on track for a career year, with four sacks, seven QB hits, and six tackles for loss in the opening 10 contests. He had formed a strong 1-2 punch with Micah Parsons, especially when they lined up together on the inside.
Per Pro Football Focus, Wyatt won on pass-rush reps 12.9 percent of the time, which ranked 15th among all interior linemen. But through four games this season, he's at just 2.8 percent, ranking 110th.
Wyatt has two pressures but zero sacks or hits so far. He has been a non-factor in all four games, and it's becoming a concern.
December 14, 2025: Micah Parsons suffers a torn ACL
Current status: Reserve/PUP list
It was the Packers' worst fear after they sent two first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys.
Micah Parsons had changed the game for the entire defense. He was the closer. Then he tore his ACL, and the Packers have had just two fluke wins over the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers since.
Not only did Green Bay lose Parsons for a playoff run, but the injury was so late in the season that he's still not ready to return. Parsons hasn't practiced since suffering an ACL and meniscus injury, and all signs point toward him missing at least another month.
The Packers are smartly exercising caution with his recovery. He's far too important to this team to rush him back.
But Kraft and Wyatt highlight the need to temper expectations when he does return. Yes, Parsons is an all-world pass rusher, but it can take time for any player at any position to recapture their best form after returning from such a big injury. Especially with no training camp and only a few weeks to ramp up.
December 14, 2025: Zach Bako-Bewele suffers a partially torn patellar tendon
Current status: Out for the season after reinjuring his knee in Week 2
Given Parsons' importance to this team, it's easy to forget that the Packers also lost Zach Bako-Bewele to a significant knee injury the same day.
Bako-Bewele suffered a partially torn patellar tendon in Week 15 last season, which is a brutal injury to come back from. According to Sports Injury Central, it's "one of the toughest injuries to overcome in the NFL" and can "impact explosiveness long after return."
The Packers' star right tackle required offseason surgery and was limited throughout training camp. Bako-Bewele even admitted two weeks before the season that he still wasn't at 100 percent.
On September 20, 2026, Bako-Bewele reinjured his knee in the Packers' win over the Jets, this time suffering a full tear of his patellar tendon. It ends his season and sets him on another daunting road to recovery.
September 20, 2026: Jayden Reed suffers a season-ending neck injury
Current status: Out for the season
One play before Bako-Bewele got hurt in Week 2, wide receiver Jayden Reed suffered a scary hit and exited the game with a neck injury.
The Packers haven't released details of the injury, but head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that Reed required season-ending neck surgery. Thankfully, LaFleur said it's not expected to be career-ending.
That last part is the crucial detail. The most important thing is Reed's overall health, regardless of what it means for the Packers. It was a truly scary moment.
October 4, 2026: Edgerrin Cooper suffers a torn Achilles
Current status: Out for the season
The Packers' injury crisis deepened in last week's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffering a torn Achilles. It's yet another significant injury that can impact a player's explosiveness in future seasons.
Fortunately, there are several examples of star linebackers reaching an elite level after an Achilles tear, most notably Dre Greenlaw, but Cooper undoubtedly faces a long road to recovery.
It leaves the Packers without one of their true game-changers. He was on fire against the Buccaneers, making a sack and an interception that swung the game in Green Bay's favor. Cooper is irreplaceable. No other linebacker on the roster, or anyone the Packers can add in-season, can do it all like Cooper. He can cover, he's strong against the run, and he can blitz.
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will have to find ways to fill the void, but it's an impossible task. This defense's ceiling is significantly lower without Cooper.
Injuries continue to decimate the Packers at crucial positions
Again, it's not the number of injuries, as the Packers are about on par with the rest of the league. It's that they are losing their star players to significant and, in some cases, career-altering injuries.
When everyone is healthy, who are the most important players on the roster? Jordan Love is No. 1, of course, but Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Zach Bako-Bewele, and Edgerrin Cooper would all be high on the list.
Parsons and Kraft suffered ACL tears. Bako-Bewele fought his way back from a partially torn patellar tendon, only to tear it completely two games into his return. Now, Cooper is out with a torn Achilles. It's devastating.
And we haven't even discussed the other notable injuries.
The Packers handed left guard Aaron Banks $77 million in 2025, but he has been unable to stay healthy. Banks missed most of training camp due to knee tendinitis, and now he's also sidelined with a toe issue. He's played 22 snaps this season.
Tight end Luke Musgrave is out indefinitely after suffering a neck injury in the offseason. He's in a contract year, and it's unclear if he'll play another snap for the Packers.
Last year's third-round pick, Savion Williams, remains on injured reserve due to an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason. Warren Brinson, a sixth-rounder in the same class, will miss "significant" time, per Matt LaFleur.
Again, every team deals with injuries. It's an unfortunate reality in the NFL. But the Packers keep losing their most important players to the most devastating of injuries. It's tough to overcome, and only time will tell how much more they can withstand.
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