The Green Bay Packers haven't had a splashy free agency period, as they signed Benjamin St-Juste and Skyy Moore, effectively ending the talks on whether Keisean Nixon will be their lead return man in 2026.
The Packers also decided to retain several members of their roster, and that continued on Wednesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that the Packers are bringing back edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. This is a low-cost deal, but it signals a belief that Collin Oliver turning into a breakout performer on defense isn't as likely in 2026.
Brenton Cox Jr. Returning to Packers Isn’t Good News for Collin Oliver
The Packers will have more snaps available in the edge room with Micah Parsons rehabbing from a torn ACL. They also traded Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys, and Kingsley Enagbare left in free agency to sign with the New York Jets. Plain and simple, Green Bay needs to have enough pass rushers in that room moving forward, so a signing was necessary, but Cox Jr. could be someone who eats into the reps expected to go to Oliver.
Cox Jr. signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Over the last three seasons, he hasn't been a major contributor. He played in 15 total games, logging 17 total tackles, six TFLs, 10 QB hits, five sacks, and two forced fumbles. These numbers aren't exactly exciting, but the front office brass in Green Bay clearly thinks there's more meat on the bone.
As for Oliver, he was nabbed in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft by Green Bay. Yet, his rookie season never got off the ground, as he suffered a hamstring injury that required surgery. He was limited to just one game, finishing with a single tackle.
This regime drafted Oliver, so Brian Gutekunst and company clearly have faith in him, but Cox Jr. has shown more than the Oklahoma State product. Considering that the Packers won't be able to lean on Parsons as much in the beginning of the year, both players will be expected to step up.
But it won't be a surprise to see Cox Jr. get more playing time than Oliver. The Athletic's Matt Schneidman tweeted that the "Packers’ top four edge rushers to start the season will likely be Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver and Brenton Cox Jr., barring a draft pick surpassing one of them."
While Oliver is still involved in the plan for this team, Cox Jr.'s return adds one more defender that Oliver will have to beat out. Based on the playing time that Barryn Sorrell received in 2025 (206 defensive snaps) and Van Ness entering a contract year, they'll certainly be the top two edge rushers in that room to start the season.
It'll come down to Cox Jr. and Oliver to see who comes out on top as EDGE3, but after how last season went, you want to give the edge to Cox Jr.