The Packers Need To Let Edgerrin Cooper Rush the Passer More

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-19 on the road. However, their four-man rush failed to generate pressure on Matthew Stafford, a concerning trend. The Rams also struggled to find rhythm in their passing game whenever Green Bay brought pressure.

Green Bay’s four-man rush hasn’t pressured the quarterback consistently all year. That’s concerning because Jeff Hafley’s defense has been most effective at disrupting the passing game by blitzing on medium-to-long passing downs.

Edgerrin Cooper has been Green Bay's best linebacker this year, steadily ascending as a pass rusher. He recorded a pressure and a half a sack on Will Levis in Week 3 and earned the team’s third-best pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus.

Cooper made two crucial plays against the Rams on Sunday. First, he sacked Matthew Stafford to take the Rams out of field goal range and set up a punt. Later, he applied pressure on a crucial fourth down to force Stafford to throw earlier than intended; the Rams turned it over on downs, and Green Bay won the game.

Green Bay is paying $160 million for Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark, yet they’ve combined for only one sack in 2024. Meanwhile, Cooper has 1.5 sacks this season.

The Packers had a clear plan when they selected Cooper in the second round of the 2024 draft. They had hired Hafley three months before the draft, and his defensive strategy aimed to be more aggressive and to incorporate versatile pieces across all three phases. That included implementing exotic pressure looks in the traditional 4-3 or the 4-2-5 alignment.

At Texas A&M last year, Cooper recorded 27 pressures, 12 hurries, five hits on the quarterback, and eight sacks. He was the best off-ball linebacker with pass-rushing skills in the draft.

With Quay Walker transitioning to the Mike role, the plan for Cooper was to play the Will position, allowing him to rely on his instincts and athleticism without overthinking his responsibilities. However, he missed most of the offseason program due to injury, which hindered his acclimation to the NFL speed.

Linebacker is Green Bay’s weakest defensive unit by a wide margin. At this point, the Packers already know what they have in Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and Eric Wilson. Cooper needs as many snaps as possible in coverage and rushing the passer. In the 4-2-5, Green Bay can pair him with a safety, allowing Cooper to blitz while improving second-level coverage. The bottom line: The fewer Packer linebackers on the field, the better.

Green Bay has multiple ways to use Cooper up front. His 4.51 40-yard-dash speed allows him to show blitz and drop into coverage on simulated pressures, as well as run stunts with defensive linemen effectively.

Using Cooper as a pass rusher is the best way to maximize his talent. While he may make mistakes in coverage, the Packers need to learn to live with those errors. Every linebacker is making mistakes, so Green Bay is better off accepting them from someone with a potentially high ceiling, like Cooper. Additionally, with the current pass-rush plan struggling, Hafley might as well involve Cooper in some rush sets, which the rest of the league doesn’t have tape on yet and could give the Packers an edge.

Cooper has logged just four snaps as a rusher this year. He’s earned a 72.5 pass-rush grade on true pass sets, with a pressure and a sack. He’s been effective, and we should see him more involved in the pass rush moving forward.