Javon Hargrave out for season with torn Achilles: Three trade targets for Packers

Green Bay is running short on healthy defensive linemen after losing Hargrave and Edgerrin Cooper to season-ending Achilles injuries

Oct 12, 2026 at 2:28 pm ET • 4 min read

The Packers' 31-7 win over the Bears was Green Bay's best and most important victory this season, a sign the team could be headed in the right direction after a rocky first few weeks. Headed in the wrong direction, though, is the team's health on defense. One week after the team lost standout linebacker Edgerrin Cooper for the season with a torn Achilles, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave suffered the same injury and is also done for the year, per ESPN.

"That kind of takes the air out of the room a little bit, when you lose ... not only a great player but a great guy, a key piece to this team, and it kind of puts a little bit of a cloud on the day," coach Matt LaFleur said.

The timing adds to that cloudiness; the injury occurred late in the blowout win, and he had to be carted off the field. 

Hargrave, a Pro Bowler in 2021 and 2023, signed a two-year, $23 million deal this offseason and was expected to bolster a Green Bay interior that struggled down the stretch of last year. Hargrave has played just a hair under the Packers' defensive snaps this year, and his injury is the third to the position group. Warren Brinson (calf/groin) is on IR, and Jordon Riley (Achilles recovery) remains on the PUP list. Anthony Campbell (ankle) missed Week 5 as well.

The Packers' healthy defensive linemen (not including edge rushers) are Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan, Jonathan Ford and Devonte Wyatt.

The injury is also unfortunate as it comes just as Micah Parsons was nearing a return from his torn ACL. He's still officially on the PUP list but could be back in the coming weeks.

With so many injuries up front, Green Bay could look for outside help with the Nov. 10 trade deadline less than a month away. The Packers are down a 2027 first-round pick due to the Parsons trade but own all of their other picks in next year's draft as well as the Cowboys' fourth-rounder from the Rashan Gary trade this offseason.

Three trade options for the Packers

The Packers may slow-play the exploration of trade options. They're 3-2, but Sunday's win over the Caleb Williams-less Bears shouldn't make them rash buyers. If they do want to buy, though, three interior defensive linemen stand out.

Daron Payne has been the subject of trade rumors a few times, yet he's spent all nine seasons of his career with Washington. Could this be the year he gets moved? The Commanders are 1-3-1 and reeling after an embarrassing clock management debacle against the Giants. He is in the final year of a four-year, $90 million deal.

Payne, 29, is coming off his best game of the year, which included a sack. He has generally been a dependable, available (two games missed over the last seven years) starter in the middle, and he's a significant part of what's been a solid run defense this year.

The Commanders' decision makers, though, are in a precarious position. Coach Dan Quinn should be on the hottest of hot seats, and GM Adam Peters' tenure has produced mixed-at-best results of late. If Peters knows he'll be back for next year, he might be more willing to deal Payne and recoup draft assets.

The Dolphins spent all offseason getting rid of many of their most important, older players from their last regime. Zach Sieler was one of a few exceptions. He has been a steady presence -- and a very good, under-recognized player in general -- in the middle of Miami's defensive line. If he played on a better team or in a bigger football market, he'd probably have been a multi-time Pro Bowler; he had 10 sacks in both 2023 and 2024.

Sieler can still get it done at 31. He had two sacks in Week 4 against the Vikings and has five tackles for loss this season. He has consistently been solid against both the run and the pass. The Dolphins needed to keep some veterans around early as they transitioned to a new regime, but it might be worth exploring the next step, especially if Sieler prioritizes playing for a competitive team.

Through five weeks, the top interior defensive lineman in Pro Football Focus' ranks is ... A'Shawn Robinson. Yes, the well-traveled veteran, now 31, is dominating against the run and also has a sack. He has a tackle on nearly 20% of the snaps he's played against the run, a terrific number, and is a huge reason the Buccaneers are allowing the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL this year.

Robinson's on a one-year deal. Like the Commanders, the Buccaneers might be holding out hope they don't have to sell -- at least not yet. But if the trade deadline approaches closer and the 1-4 Bucs aren't getting more competitive, Robinson, on a one-year deal, could become an attractive option for playoff contenders.