Rising defensive player now making Packers’ much-criticized trade look smarter with every snap as hindsight starts to shift
Ty’Ron Hopper made a strong impression in the preseason.
In an era of instant gratification, patience is a rare quality. Sometimes, it’s hard to have a full understanding of team moves as they happen, but a process-driven long-term approach usually pays off. The Green Bay Packers are starting to reap the benefits of a heavily criticized move they made back in 2023.
At that time, the Packers started the season 2-5 ahead of the trade deadline, which motivated them to accept the Buffalo Bills’ offer for cornerback Rasul Douglas. It was a pick swap, so Green Bay received a third-round pick and sent Douglas and a fifth-rounder to Buffalo. With that pick, in 2024, the Packers selected off-ball linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper.
The young defender barely played as a rookie, making the critics even louder. But now, Hopper has had a great combination of training camp and preseason, while Rasul Douglas is a free agent heading into the regular season.
“Hopper, first, I would say that he’s one of our most improved players from a year ago,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the preseason finale. “He’s done an outstanding job, he’s really got it. He’s done a much better job communicating. I would say he’s the voice of the defense when he’s in there, so I think he’s done a really nice job. He’s still a young developing player, but he got a lot of good work this preseason.”
Present and future
After such a strong preseason, Hopper is a lock to make the 53-man roster. He’s backup for now, but he’s shown capabilities to compete with players like Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie for playing time.
Moreover, Walker did not have his fifth-year option picked up and is entering a contract year. While general manager Brian Gutekunst has stated his desire to keep the former first-round pick around beyond this season, Hopper’s improvement can certainly give the Packers more flexibility if a deal isn’t reached.
When you trade an established veteran like Rasul Douglas for a draft pick, it’s natural that the deal will look bad early on. But they moved on from an older player with one and a half seasons of contract for a shot at a player under a four-year rookie deal. That sound process is finally starting to pay off, and Hopper is under contract through 2027 to keep making that trade look better and better.
Green Bay Packers News
Packers’ 53-man Roster Prediction: Bubble players make their case in preseason finale as roster cuts loom ahead
Gutekunst and LaFleur have a lot of work to do over the next few days.
