The Packers already have a solution in their hands, they just need to let it happen
For rookies on the Green Bay Packers, snaps are earned, not given. So even if Green Bay decided to use a second-round pick to select linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and the external expectation was that the rookie would start from the get go, the process was never like that. Early in training camp, even when the […]
For rookies on the Green Bay Packers, snaps are earned, not given. So even if Green Bay decided to use a second-round pick to select linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and the external expectation was that the rookie would start from the get go, the process was never like that.
Early in training camp, even when the Packers used base defense, the linebackers on the field were Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and Eric Wilson. Practice after practice, Edgerrin Cooper was getting his space. But a series of injuries has made the process tougher.
Now, it's game after game. And just like he did in practice, Cooper has earned more snaps. He had 14% of the defensive snaps in week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil, and head coach Matt LaFleur said the rookie had earned more. But the number was down to 13% in week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts. Since then, the rise is evident, both in snaps and in performance.
Cooper has played more than 30% of the defensive plays in each of the last three games, including a career-high 38% against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Among Green Bay's off-ball linebackers, according to PFF, he has the best run defense grade (65.6), best pass rush grade by far (90.6), and has better coverage grades and total grades than Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie, the two players who lead the position in snaps. Cooper is also tied with Walker with two sacks, which is particularly relevant considering that the rookie has had one third of the pass rush snaps. He is also the Packers linebacker allowing the least yards per reception when targeted.
"He's a dynamic athlete, who is highly instinctual and is physical," defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said last week. "He missed the preseason. Now, he's kind of been in and out, we need to go. He needs to be healthy, he needs to practice, and we need him to play. I'm excited about that when it happens."
Packers linebackers snap rate:
- Quay Walker 100%
- Isaiah McDuffie 79.52%
- Edgerrin Cooper 26.2%
- Eric Wilson 18.07%
Against the Rams, it was especially evident of how impactful Edgerrin Cooper can be. Eventually, he will make rookie mistakes. But if the veterans are also making mistakes, Green Bay might as well live with early issues from the rookie, knowing that the ceiling is much higher.
After all, Edgerrin Cooper can be exactly the solution that the Packers thought he could be when they took him so early in the draft. But he needs to be on the field for that.
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