“A Convincing Case For Him To Get More Playing Time”: Green Bay Packers Fans Wonder Why Edgerrin Cooper Is Not Getting More Play Time

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper is only a rookie and he has made a massive impact on the field already this season. Cooper was a second-round pick from the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has an outside shot to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2024.

This season, he has recorded 59 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception, and four pass deflections. Edgerrin Cooper has a chance to be a really great linebacker for this franchise for years to come.

Green Bay Packers Fans Wondering Why Edgerrin Cooper Is Not Getting More Play Time

This season, Cooper has been the NFC Defensive Player of the Week twice. There are a lot of Packers fans wondering why he has not received more snaps this season with the team. On Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic released a mailbag answering different questions from Green Bay’s fanbase. One fan asked him:

“Why, oh why, isn’t Edgerrin Cooper a full-time player on the Packers’ defense? It’s been evident since early in the season that he’s one of their best players, yet he’s been limited to less than 50 percent of the defensive snaps. He was NFC Defensive Player of the Week twice this season, not Defensive Rookie of the Week. Defensive player. It seems like coaching malpractice that he hasn’t played more?”

This is a good question for this fan because many others in the fanbase are wondering the same thing as well. Matt Schneidman had this lengthy answer for this fan:

“Cooper hasn’t played fewer than 50 percent of the defensive snaps when healthy since Week 5, so let’s get our facts straight. He played between 60-71 percent of them from Weeks 6-11 before missing three games with a hamstring injury and then played 58 percent against the Seahawks in his first game back. I wouldn’t say it’s been evident since early in the season that he’s one of their best players, but we can say that now for certain. There’s a convincing case for him to get more playing time — I wouldn’t quite call it coaching malpractice that he’s not playing more than any other linebacker — and I expect him to with Quay Walker week to week with an ankle injury. It’s possible they don’t want to put too much on his plate as a rookie or want to keep him fresh by rotating considering all they ask him to do, as they do with defensive linemen, but Cooper should be an every-down linebacker sooner rather than later.”

Would it be this weekend against the New Orleans Saints that he becomes a full-time linebacker finally? Even if it isn’t this season for the Green Bay Packers, Edgerrin Cooper will have to be a starting linebacker next season for them. Selecting Cooper in the second round (45th overall selection) in the 2024 NFL Draft seemed to be a home run for this organization.

Seattle Seahawks First Game Back Since Chicago Bears Matchup

The Seattle Seahawks game was his first game back since the 11/17 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Against Seattle, Cooper recorded seven tackles, and one sack, and also had an interception in the game for Green Bay. His numbers against Seattle are why the Packers fanbase wants him to start every week despite missing some time recently with an injury before then.

Green Bay’s defense has been better this season, but Cooper can’t afford to have more injuries this season. He has a chance to be in multiple pro bowls throughout his NFL career.

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