Green Bay Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin won't suit up for the club's pivotal NFC North showdown with the Detroit Lions after hurting his shin in practice. It's an unfortunate, brutal turn of events, one that puts Ty'Ron Hopper in the spotlight.
Hopper, one of the Packers' two third-round picks in 2024, hasn't lived up to his respectable draft pedigree yet. He's been relegated to mostly special teams work so far in the NFL but has recently been called upon in defensive stalwart Edgerrin Cooper's absence. With Franklin out, too, there's even more opportunity to carve out a key role — and we mean a lot.
Franklin is literally an every-down contributor. The veteran wears the green dot and has logged a whopping 99 percent of Green Bay's defensive snaps through six games this season. He's been a true linchpin for their surging stop unit, and someone will need to step up without him, specifically Hopper.
Zaire Franklin's practice injury opens another door for Ty'Ron Hopper
It's the next man up, as we so often hear in sports, and in this scenario, that's Hopper. For better or worse, he'll probably have to play full-time for the first time as a pro, excluding a meaningless regular-season finale in 2025. Besides him, mainstay Isaiah McDuffie and special teamers Nick Niemann and Kristian Welch are the only other healthy LBs on the Packers' roster.
McDuffie was already in the rotation, so his usage hasn't changed too drastically since Cooper went down. Niemann and Welch have combined to see the field on defense on just two snaps since 2025. Put two and two together, and Hopper is Franklin's direct replacement almost by default.
A solid athlete with good size, Hopper has the speed and length to be a difference-maker, particularly in coverage. He recorded his first career interception in Green Bay's Week 5 win over the Chicago Bears. Let's see if the Missouri product can keep the momentum going, and perhaps even elevate his performance, sans Franklin.
When can the Packers expect Zaire Franklin back?
Missing Franklin is undeniably a significant blow for the Packers, and frankly, the timing couldn't be much worse. Traveling to Detroit to face a division rival in a hostile road environment for a heavyweight battle was already a tall task. Both sides need a win to keep pace with the Minnesota Vikings atop the standings, too, especially with the 5-2 Bears also lurking.
If there's a silver lining, though, it's that this doesn't seem like a long-term issue for Franklin. Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters he doesn't anticipate placing the one-time Pro Bowler on injured reserve. Talk about a massive sigh of relief.
Franklin has tallied 41 tackles (two for loss), two quarterback hits, one pass deflection and a forced fumble across six contests in 2026.
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