GREEN BAY, Wis. – Is linebacker the deepest position on the Green Bay Packers? It’s possible.
Edgerrin Cooper looked like a potential star during the second half of his rookie season. Returning starters Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie are back, Ty’Ron Hopper should be ready to contribute after the equivalent of a redshirt season, and proven veterans Kristian Welch and Isaiah Simmons were added to the mix.
Here’s a closer look with organized team activities set to begin on Tuesday.
Packers Linebackers Depth Chart
Veterans: Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Edgerrin Cooper, Ty’Ron Hopper, Kristian Welch (free agent), Isaiah Simmons (free agent).
Rookies/first-year: Jamon Johnson (undrafted).
Big Question: How Great Can Edgerrin Cooper Become?
In the 2022 NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst had the pick of the linebacker class when he was on the clock at No. 22 overall of the first round. To address a glaring need, he picked Georgia’s Quay Walker. In the 2024 draft, Gutekunst once again had the pick of the litter. At No. 45 of the second round, he selected Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper.
Walker’s been a solid starter and is arguably the best linebacker from the class. Cooper, on the other hand, has a chance to be the best defensive player, period.
Cooper earned All-Rookie honors with 77 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses, one forced fumble, one interception and four passes defensed. He also led the team with 10 tackles on special teams, giving him a total of 87.
According to Stathead, Cooper joined Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and DeMeco Ryans as the only rookie off-the-ball linebackers since at least 1999 with 80 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses and four passes defensed.
Cooper led all rookies in TFLs. He also led all non-pass rushers, regardless of experience. He recorded the most TFLs by a rookie off-the-ball linebacker since Lavonte David in 2012.
That’s big-time production by any measure, let alone for a rookie who played 45.1 percent of the defensive snaps because he was eased into the lineup early and missed three games due to injury.
So, what’s the next step?
“Consistency,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “We talked and sometimes joked about he might’ve had that gap, but he made the play over there. Like, there was a toss run over there that instead of going over the top of the blocker, somehow he ran underneath the blocker and still made a TFL.
“Now it’s getting the details down. Now it’s lining up exactly where he needs to line up and doing it over and over and over again, because then he’s going to show up faster and he’s going to make more plays and he’s going to become a more consistent player.”
At the 2024 Scouting Combine, Cooper weighed 230 pounds. Hafley said he’s close to 240 now.
“He knows what it’s going to take,” Hafley said. “He knows what he has to do now to stay healthy, because as much as we talked about not having him on the field last year, he was injured quite a bit, where he missed a lot of time and didn’t practice and couldn’t play.
“Now he knows what it’s going to take to stay healthy in this long season. You can tell he’s dedicated that time into caring for his body and changed his body. Now when you sit with him in that room it’s, he’s locked in and he’s focused. Now he knows what he’s doing. Your rookie year, you’re kind of in survival mode a little bit, too. So, he just needs to be more consistent. He’s got to stay healthy and continue to improve, and he’s a guy that we’re really excited about because he can do a lot of different things.”
Bonus Question: Who Will Be LB5?
The Packers lost a vital cog to their team when Eric Wilson returned to the Vikings, where he started his career. In 2024, Wilson started 12 games on defense and was second in tackles on special teams. In Week 17 at Minnesota, he played a total of 95 snaps between defense and special teams.
With 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper expected to move up at least a notch on the pecking order, the Packers added three enticing options to replace Wilson.
The first is Kristian Welch, who is back with the team after being one of the leaders on special teams in 2023 and having an excellent preseason in 2024. The second is Isaiah Simmons, the eighth pick of the 2020 draft who has played a lot of snaps at linebacker, slot and on special teams. The third is Jamon Johnson, an undrafted free agent who was an All-American at Georgia before finishing his career at Kentucky.
They each add a little something in their pursuit of a roster spot. Simmons has made a bunch of high-impact plays. Welch is a proven player on special teams with almost 1,400 snaps in five seasons. Johnson was one of the top run-stopping linebackers in the draft.
It would be an incredible asset to the defense if Simmons, who had a total of 204 tackles, 14 passes defensed and six forced fumbles with the Cardinals in 2021 and 2022, can return to form.
“I see a really hungry player,” said Sean Duggan, who was promoted to linebackers coach to replace Anthony Campanile, the new defensive coordinator for the Jaguars. “I think you know he’s a very eager player right Now and he’s extremely athletic.
“I think his versatility is going to be something that’s pretty special. I don’t think you see a lot of 6-4 guys that are 240 pounds that can run a 4.3. But I see a guy who, just like everybody, he’s putting his head down, he’s working, he’s trying to learn the defense. He’s learning the way we do things here. But I see a guy who’s just working really, really hard right now that does have a lot of, a lot of traits. So, really, I’m excited about him.”