Edgerrin Cooper was the most exciting guy on the Packers’ defense in 2024.
The Packers introduced him into the lineup slowly last season, but every glimpse was fascinating. And when they finally set him free, he was everything fans — and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley — could have hoped for. He was fast, aggressive and played left and right back for the Packers.
It was not that only fans took notice of his success. Despite starting only four games and logging only 491 snaps, Cooper received All-Pro votes and finished sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Even in his limited sample size, Cooper made an impact.
This year, the heavyset Cooper seemed ready to build on his rookie year success. But it hasn’t worked out that way.
Cooper’s splash plays have all but disappeared. Through 11 games, Cooper has only had half a sack and two tackles for loss. Cooper had 3.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 14 games last year. His Pro Football Focus grades, though not a concrete measure of success, have declined across the board — he’s putting up worse numbers in every category PFF tracks. And he’s already matched the 14 missed tackles he posted last year, although to be fair he’s already played more snaps than he did last season.
That doesn’t mean Cooper is playing poorly. I don’t think that’s a fair description of the situation. He’s been fine in an overall solid Packers defense that has changed around him over the past year, even as Cooper himself has changed.
Cooper’s opportunities as a pass rusher have declined significantly this year. According to PFF data, Cooper recorded 56 pass rushes in 549 total defensive snaps. Put differently, he was chasing the quarterback on about 10% of his defensive snaps as a rookie. This year, he has rushed the passer on only 45 of 706 defensive snaps, or a little more than 6%. Cooper’s numbers may be down, at least as a pass rusher, as the Packers aren’t utilizing him the same way.
Again, Cooper isn’t playing bad. But the way they are being used this year, their impact is diminishing. In some ways it’s good that they can use him the way they are – you don’t have to attack Cooper when you’ve got Micah Parsons doing Micah Parsons things. But if the Packers are going to make a deep playoff run, they need Cooper at the peak of playmaking, and that could mean his usage changes a bit as the Packers get down to home.
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