When the Green Bay Packers didn’t pick up Quay Walker’s fifth-year option last year, it was a signal that they could let him walk in free agency. If that were to happen, it could open the door for Ty’Ron Hopper, the Packers’ 2024 third-round pick, to possibly step into a full-time role.
Fast forward several months, and Green Bay let Walker hit free agency, and he hit the jackpot, signing a three-year, $40.5 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. This meant that it was finally Hopper’s time to shine after getting a chance to make two starts last season for an injured Walker.
However, the Packers had other plans to fill Walker’s void, and it didn’t involve Hopper. Green Bay traded defensive tackle Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for veteran LB Zaire Franklin. Days after the trade, Green Bay signed Franklin to a restructured two-year, $16 million deal, keeping him on the team until after the 2027 season.
Needless to say, this is the worst-case scenario for Hopper, as his starting chances for next season are on a downward trend.
Ty’Ron Hopper Could Be Back at Square One Next Season After Packers’ LB Changes
The 24-year-old Hopper didn’t play much on defense (18 snaps) during his rookie season, as his main job was special teams (215 snaps).
It was the same story for Edgerrin Cooper, who played 55% of defensive snaps, but only started in four out of 14 games. However, the Packers’ linebacker unit was stacked with Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and Eric Wilson. There were only so many snaps to go around.
Last season, Hopper saw an uptick in defensive snaps (126), but still served mostly in a special teams role (278 snaps) under Jeff Hafley. But Hopper got his time to shine in Week 13, making his first career start against the Detroit Lions.
The former third-round pick only played 17 defensive snaps, but had three combined tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, Hopper had a 62.7 run defense grade and a 63.6 grade in pass coverage, which is good for a player in his first start.
Hopper got his next chance to start in the regular season finale, where he posted five combined tackles and didn’t give up a completion on two targets. After the regular season ended, he made a play in the wildcard game against the Chicago Bears, intercepting Caleb Williams inside the red zone.
As we know, Green Bay didn’t win that game, but it was great to see the young linebacker make a play at a critical juncture.
Now, we don’t know if Hopper will get those chances again, as it will be hard to get on the field with Franklin taking over. The veteran linebacker is coming off a down year in 2025, but is not too far removed from being a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2024.
With that in mind, Hopper can try to push the envelope with a good showing in OTAs, mandatory minicamp, training camp, and preseason with a new defensive coordinator taking over. It won’t be easy, but going into his third year, Hopper has to show that he’s more than a special teams contributor.