Cooper making big difference for Packers defense in his rookie season

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has made the most of his limited opportunities.

The Packers can’t wait to see what the rookie second-round pick from Texas A&M will do next.

In his return after missing three games, Cooper recorded a sack and his first career interception in Sunday’s 30-13 victory at Seattle. Pro Football Focus gave him the highest grade of any NFL player regardless of position for that week.

“My plan is just to go out there and have fun,” Cooper said afterward. “I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s just football, at the end of the day. Go out there and do what I need to do.”

The performance at Seattle earned Cooper NFC defensive player of the week honors for a second time, making him the first Packer to earn that award multiple times in one season since Clay Matthews during Green Bay’s Super Bowl championship run in 2010.

Cooper’s other NFC defensive player of the week recognition came after he had a sack and forced a fumble to help the Packers to a 30-27 win at Jacksonville in his first career start.

He has been on the field for less than 36% of the defensive snaps for the Packers (10-4) because he missed three games due to injury and didn’t get much playing time early on. Cooper has played more than two-thirds of Green Bay’s defensive plays in just one game this season.

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Yet he still ranks fourth on the team in sacks (3½) and sixth in tackles heading into Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints (5-9).

“I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he could become in this league,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

Cooper’s ability to stuff the stat sheet is evident from his season totals. He’s the first rookie linebacker to have at least three sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble since Patrick Queen in 2020, when he was with the Baltimore Ravens.

The only other Packers rookie to reach those benchmarks since at least 2000 was A.J. Hawk in 2006.

“He’s a playmaker, so somebody that we’re definitely leaning on and expect to make a lot of plays for us,” defensive lineman Kenny Clark said.

Cooper’s playmaking skill comes primarily from the exceptional speed that earned him the nickname “Flash” when his peers noticed his ability to play from sideline to sideline.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley cited a recent play in which Cooper was about 8 yards away from a receiver when a screen was thrown. By the time the pass arrived, Cooper was already there to make the play.

“He can eat up the grass really fast,” Hafley said. “Sometimes he might not be in the right position, but he has that ability to make up for it. The more he learns, the better he gets. He’s going to get better and better and better. He’s really matured and developed.”

His speed and knowledge of the game helped him earn first-team Associated Press All-America honors at Texas A&M last season.

“He’s got two gifts,” said Jimbo Fisher, who coached Cooper at Texas A&M. “One, he can process and is very instinctive. And two, if he’s ever a half-step wrong or a step wrong, he’s usually got the burst to change.

“And he has length to be able to cover taller guys and run down the field with modern-day tight ends and some of the inside receivers they put on him. That’s a big advantage, too. Linebackers who can play in space and tackle in space are worth their weight in gold now.”

Cooper was playing tailback as well as linebacker when Fisher recruited him out of Covington (Louisiana) High School. Fisher believes Cooper could have excelled at either position.

But his aptitude for defense has been apparent from the start.

“He loves contact,” Fisher said. “The physical side of the ball, he never shies away from. And he’s a smart guy. He can learn.

“I always say this about linebackers. You can learn everything you want, but there’s so much instinct to being able to diagnose and process information. He’s always been able to do that. There’s a naturalness to linebackers, and sometimes you can’t coach all of that, you know what I’m saying? They can just process it and sort of do it. He’s always been able to do that.”

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