Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was one of the Green Bay Packers' splashier additions this offseason, but he didn't look the part facing his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, in Week 1.
Hargrave wasn't a notable negative, he just didn't give the Packers a whole lot of anything in the 30 snaps he played: one tackle, no pressures. He came off the bench alongside rookie Chris McClellan. Hargrave was fine, politely speaking.
That's not what fans envisioned when the team signed him in free agency, following the two-time Pro Bowler's release from the Vikings. Even coming off a down year, Hargrave had his prior connection with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to lean on.
The narrative was easy to buy into, but Hargrave's first impression raises questions about the role he'll have in this defense during his age-33 season.
Javon Hargrave's role may be more limited than Packers fans anticipated
It's difficult to get a bead on what the Packers' plan is up front. In Week 1 at least, Gannon deployed his defensive linemen in a by-committee approach, without establishing much of a discernible hierarchy in playing time. Karl Brooks led the group in snaps with 37; McClellan came in fifth at ...