The Green Bay Packers had one of their best defensive performances of the season against the Seattle Seahawks.
It wasn’t perfect, but the pass rush came alive, the team attacked the ball for two turnovers, and the secondary limited backup quarterback Sam Howell to 24 yards.
The entire group played well. However, rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper returned from a hamstring injury and was the team’s MVP.
Cooper didn’t just play well for a rookie; he was a true playmaker. He did a little bit of everything on Sunday night, leading to Rookie of the Week nominations. Cooper adds a skill set to the middle of the field that Green Bay doesn’t otherwise have. His emergence is vital for a Packers team hoping to compete deep in the postseason.
Green Bay’s inside linebacker group is a different beast with Cooper on the field. Even as a rookie playing limited snaps, Brian Gutekunst found something special with the former Aggie.
Cooper already had a spotlight game in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His eight tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble earned him Week 8’s NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Cooper put his speed, instincts, and playmaking ability on full display.
Unfortunately, Cooper missed time after a hamstring injury against the Chicago Bears, sidelining the rising star.
During that time, the Packers defense got the job done. However, Cooper’s absence (along with Jaire Alexander‘s) was apparent. Jeff Hafley’s group got stops when they needed to, but they were vulnerable in the middle of the field.
Cooper’s Week 15 return solved that issue and further showed why he’s a star in the making.
Cooper may have only played 34 defensive snaps, but he milked each one for everything it was worth. Cooper’s team-leading seven tackles (two for loss), sack, two pass deflections, and a game-altering interception made life a living heck for Seattle.
PFF supports me, so their numbers are valuable this week. Cooper’s 93.8 PFF grade (Elite) was the highest of the week for a Packers player. It was also the highest of any NFL player in Week 15 and the highest grade by a Packers player in the past two seasons. Pretty neat!
Cooper isn’t a coverage linebacker at this point in his career. Still, Green Bay’s pass defense is much better with him on the field. Cooper’s speed and quickness, his elite blitzing ability, and his work as a quarterback spy provide a presence the rest of the linebacker group can’t replicate.
Cooper is capable of a bit of everything, even as a rookie with limited playtime.
“I had no idea (what my role would be), but I just prepare to go out there and make plays,” Cooper said on his first game back. “My plan was just to go out there and have fun. I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s just football at the end of the day. Go out there, do what I need to do.”
Cooper’s play is already catching the attention of his teammates, who noted how remarkable he already looks.
“He’s special, man. From the stat line, you can see he can do everything, make tackles, make interceptions, get the sacks,” Kingsley Enagbare said after Sunday’s victory. “There’s literally nothing he’s physically not able to do. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s gonna be a hell of a player one day – or continue to be a hell of a player.”
Cooper is a revelation at linebacker, and it’s fair to want to see him earn more snaps. The Packers are slow to throw rookies into bigger roles at times, but it’s already clear Cooper is the best ILB on the roster. In addition, Quay Walker suffered an ankle injury, leaving him “week to week,” according to Matt LaFleur. That leaves even more room to get the ascending rookie involved.
Still, Packers.com’s Wes Hodkiewicz likes how the team has handled the rookie’s snaps, comparing it to Clay Matthews’ usage at ILB in 2015. By easing Cooper back onto the field, the Packers are putting him in position to use his skills at the right time. Coming off of a multi-week injury, it made sense to monitor Cooper’s snaps this week.
However, it might be time to unleash the second-rounder. Even if Cooper has the occasional rookie mistake, the defense is better with him on the field. With Walker likely to miss time, seeing more of what they have in Cooper makes sense.
With a critical matchup with the Minnesota Vikings quickly approaching and a playoff run on the horizon, the Packers need to get their best players on the field and ready to make an impact. Green Bay must prove it can hang with the NFC’s best teams, and having a versatile playmaker like Edgerrin Cooper on the field is a difference-maker.