The Green Bay Packers are looking to make the leap from good to great this season—and they’ll need a handful of players to take that leap with them.
Training camp officially kicks off on Wednesday, July 23. Quarterbacks and rookies have already reported, with the rest of the veterans set to arrive in the coming days.
With everyone reporting, the Packers will keep a close eye on a few guys they expect to make a big jump. One player generating major buzz heading into camp is linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
Hype Is Skyrocketing for Edgerrin Cooper at Packers Camp
Green Bay took Cooper in the second round of last year’s NFL Draft out of Texas A&M—and he made an immediate impact.
Cooper had one of the best rookie campaigns in the league and only got better as the season progressed. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice in 2024, becoming the first Packers rookie to do so since 2010. He finished his debut season with 87 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7 quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
That kind of playmaking gave the Packers a jolt. His nose for the football and knack for big moments helped elevate a defense that’s been searching for game-changers since their last Super Bowl run in 2011. Alongside Xavier McKinney, Cooper became the spark they’ve been missing.
Somehow, Cooper finished just sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting—but don’t let that fool you. Heading into the 2025 season, he’s widely viewed as one of the top second-year defenders in the NFL.
The Packers are ready to turn the keys over to him. He’ll start alongside Quay Walker at linebacker, and the duo’s skill sets complement each other well.
Cooper brings elite athleticism to the table—he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, and that speed pops on tape. He flies to the ball, closes lanes in a flash, and can knife through tight windows in the offensive line.
The next step in his development is refining his play recognition. He occasionally overran plays last season and will need to be more disciplined with his reads.
That’ll come with time. The Packers are betting on Cooper in a big way—and they’re expecting a major return on that investment.