The Green Bay Packers not only suffered a disheartening 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but lost their best player in the process. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons suffered a potential ACL tear, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, ending his season and leaving him with an uncertain future.
With Parsons sidelined while there's still football to be played, Packers fans are going to wonder if anyone can step up to fill his void. One potential contributor is defensive end Brenton Cox, whose 21-day practice window to return opened on Dec. 1
Brenton Cox's Return Is What Packers Need After Micah Parsons Injury
A season ago, Cox generated four sacks in seven games (without a start) to go along with seven quarterback hits and a forced fumble. Although that's a small sample size, it shows that the ex-Florida Gator isn't afraid to attack the opposing quarterback.
Parsons already had 12.5 sacks with Green Bay this season, surpassing the 12.0 sacks he totaled in the 2024 season. Cox isn't replacing this production or getting anywhere close, but this doesn't mean he can't be part of an important rotation that finds a way to keep the Packers' edge rush consistently productive.
The injury to the Packers star isn't just influencing Cox, but also Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness as well, who will be far more important contributors moving forward. For Cox, this is an opportunity to cash in during free agency as well if he can put together an incredible finish to the season.
Green Bay is going to be desperate to generate and pass rush and willing to give a myriad of role players a chance. If Cox can take advantage of this and make meaningful plays deep into January, the defender will be setting himself up for an incredible raise as he is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the 2025 season.
At the same time, it might be best to temper expectations. The edge rusher suffered a groin injury all the way back in Week 1 and has yet to make his return. There's a good chance that he'll have some rust, but the Packers don't really have any other options at this stage in the year.
Cox showed that he had serious pass-rushing upside last year, and now it'll be up to him to prove that he can disrupt just as efficiently now that Parsons' season is over.