Jonathan Gannon shows Packers exactly what he’s about with creative solution to major roster concern early in the offseason program
The new defensive coordinator tested off-ball linebacker Edgerrin Cooper at the edge defender position opposite Lukas Van Ness.
The Green Bay Packers might not have the best depth at edge defender while Micah Parsons is still recovering from an ACL injury. If the front office hasn’t made huge additions to solve that roster issue, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is showing early why the team decided to hire him to replace Jeff Hafley.
Gannon is a creative scheme-developer, and he can maximize the personnel moving his pieces around. On Tuesday, he tested a new option, moving off-ball linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to the edge spot as an outside linebacker.
Intriguing alternative
In the first week of OTAs, the Packers had Lukas Van Ness and last-year’s fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell starting at edge, with Cooper in his natural spot. This week, the staff started to switch things up a little bit more.
On defense, Gannon used just veteran Zaire Franklin at off-ball linebacker. In that formation, Edgerrin Cooper played at edge opposite Lukas Van Ness, with Karl Brooks, third-round rookie Chris McClellan, and Javon Hargrave on the interior of the defensive line.
A 6-3, 230-pound player, Edgerrin Cooper is relatively light to play that spot. However, it’s more feasible in a five-man front — which Gannon’s scheme allows.
Last year, Cooper already saw a rise in snaps closer to the line of scrimmage. After playing 38 defensive line snaps as a rookie, Cooper had 108 snaps there in 2026. The linebacker also had 808 snaps in the box and 122 in the slot. Over his first two seasons in the NFL, Edgerrin Cooper generated 23 pressures and had 80 stops.
Depth situation
This offseason test doesn’t mean Edgerrin Cooper will actually play a lot at edge, but it’s an important alternative to solve a roster issue.
Micah Parsons is expected to miss the first few games of the regular season, which will inevitably stress the depth.
Outside of Lukas Van Ness, the edge group has Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr., Collin Oliver (who can also play off-ball linebacker), Arron Mosby, Dante Barnett, plus rookies Dani Dennis-Sutton and Nyjalik Kelly.