Parsons and Cooper Are Going To Spearhead A Defensive Revolution In Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers’ defensive renaissance arguably began last year when they parted ways with Joe Barry and hired Jeff Hafley. In just one season, the Packers jumped from 23rd to 5th in EPA per play, 23rd to 6th in EPA against the pass, and 20th to 8th in EPA against the run, while also improving from 22nd to 4th in total yards allowed.

Still, after the Packers acquired three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons, it’s hard not to believe he can help elevate Green Bay’s defense into one of the NFL’s next great units. Optimism already feels natural with Hafley running the show, but there’s one aspect of this defense that should excite Packers fans more than anything else.

Parsons' partnership with Edgerrin Cooper.

These two could be Batman and Robin, except that both have the talent to be Batman. Think Sherlock and Watson, except both are Sherlock. Or Spider-Man and Miles Morales, except neither is the sidekick. Parsons and Cooper are not playing second fiddle. They are the duo offenses that will make facing them dread.

We are talking about two of the most versatile and athletic players in the modern NFL. Both can be disruptive as pass rushers and possess the speed to line up off the ball. The kicker is that they can do both at an elite level.

Edgerrin Cooper had a 10.8% run stop rate last year, ranking sixth among linebackers with at least 100 run-defense snaps. That mark was the highest for a Packers linebacker with at least 100 run-defense snaps since Jake Ryan in 2017. Through 15 weeks, he ranked second in overall defensive grade, first in pass-rush grade, fourth in coverage grade, first in pressures, first in sacks, third in hurries, fifth in tackles, first in stops, and first in pass breakups among rookie linebackers.

Cooper also had the highest coverage grade of any rookie Packers linebacker since Desmond Bishop in 2007. He’s also Green Bay’s highest-graded pass rusher in a single season since 2006, among players with at least 20 pass-rush snaps.

Micah Parsons’ resume speaks for itself. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. Parsons is also a former Defensive Rookie of the Year, having won the award in 2021, and finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year that same season. He’s also only the second player in NFL history to record at least 12.0 sacks in each of his first four seasons. Parsons is the best edge rusher Green Bay has had since the “Minister of Defense” Reggie White, and that’s with all due respect to Clay Matthews.

Parsons is also a productive off-ball linebacker, the position he entered the league at in 2021. His 76.9 coverage grade last year would have been the third-highest on the Packers, behind only Xavier McKinney and Jaire Alexander. Furthermore, that grade would have made him Green Bay’s highest-graded coverage linebacker in nine of the last 12 seasons.

I just can’t wrap my head around all the double A-gap pressure concepts Jeff Hafley could run with these two. He could overload the interior with both rushing or have one loop in a stunt with Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness. He could disguise coverage by dropping both, or simulate a blitz with one while the other functions as a quarterback spy. Edge defenders like Kingsley Enagbare or Brenton Cox could even rotate into soft coverage while Parsons or Cooper stunt off the edge.

With no tape on this duo for offenses to study, Hafley will have a golden opportunity early in the year to design some truly exotic looks. The combinatorial possibilities are staggering, and any offense facing them would constantly be guessing.

The Packers can pull off some really creative zone-blitz looks with Parsons and Cooper as linebackers in a 4-3, with Van Ness, Karl Brooks, Devonte Wyatt, and Rashan Gary up front. Hafley could have the front four loop, stunt, or drop while Parsons and Cooper either rush the quarterback, spy him, or drop into coverage.

Green Bay has other stars like Xavier McKinney and Rashan Gary, but Parsons and Cooper are the heart and soul of this defense. Hafley has possibly the most dynamic and versatile defensive duo in the league at his disposal. Pair that with a creative, smart defensive mind, and it’s impossible not to get excited about the chaos and dominance this unit could unleash.