The Green Bay Packers could be about to be getting a big piece back on defense, just in time for Sunday night’s clash against the Seattle Seahawks.
While there remains a possibility that Pro Bowl defensive back Jaire Alexander will be back in time to take on a prolific wide receiving corps that includes the likes of D.K. Metcalf and Jaxson Smith-Njigba, it sure sounds like rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper’s chances of playing are even more likely than that.
“That’s the plan,” Cooper told reporters.
Cooper has missed the past three weeks, since suffering a hamstring injury against the Chicago Bears, but could provide steady and reliable reinforcements for a linebacking corps tasked this weekend with slowing the combination of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and running back Zach Charbonnet with the possibility that star running back Kenneth Walker III also returns for Seattle.
What Edgerrin Cooper Adds to Packers’ Defense
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Chosen by the Packers in the second round of this spring’s NFL Draft, Cooper has carved out a role as a key starter along the front seven, producing 52 total tackles in 10 games along with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two pass breakups, and 4.5 tackles for loss.
Against a run-based offense such as the Seahawks’, getting a playmaker like Cooper back in the lineup could be a major boost along coordinator Jeff Hafley’s front-seven.
As Pro Football Focus points out, Cooper currently has a 66.8 overall grade but boasts an elite 85.4 pass-rush grade with five total pressures thus far in his rookie campaign.
“It’s been a long three weeks,” Cooper said. “I’m just ready to go out and there play, play as hard as I can, and make some plays.”
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