The Green Bay Packers left Tampa Bay with a desperately needed win over the Buccaneers in Week 4, but it appears to have cost them dearly.
Just as superstar outside linebacker Micah Parsons is about to return to action for the first time this season, it appears that standout inside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper’s 2026 campaign is over following a catastrophic injury in Florida on Sunday, October 4.
“Matt LaFleur suspects that Edgerrin cooper will be out for the season with his Achilles injury,” Matt Schneidman of The Athletic posted to X. “He’s visibly emotional about it.”
Cooper went down in the middle of the third quarter with what looked like a non-contact injury. He left the contest and did not return.
Edgerrin Cooper Injury Sidelines Another Top Green Bay Player Indefinitely
Cooper is simply the latest in a long line of injuries and/or absences for major contributors on Green Bay’s roster.
Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, while running back Josh Jacobs has missed the entire year to this point due to legal troubles connected to a domestic incident in May. Jacobs is likely to miss several more weeks for the same reasons.
Parsons has yet to play a snap, though he is now free to return to the field with the expiration of his four-week injury designation. Parsons has said he plans to return by no later than Week 6 when the Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys, Parson’s former team.
Edgerrin Cooper’s Loss Huge Blow to Best Part of Packers’ Defense
Cooper’s injury seriously compromises the integrity of the spine of the Packers’ defense, which has been its strength this season — with Cooper playing well in front of a good safety group and behind a deep defensive tackle room with promise, though also injury issues of its own through the first month of the year.
The second-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2024 played in and started 16 games last season. He tallied 118 tackles, including four tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Cooper had already amassed 21 tackles, including six tackles for loss, and two sacks through three games in 2026 before going down with the injury.
Cooper, who turns 25 in November, is in the third season of his four-year, $8.6 million rookie contract.
Packers Share Devastating Edgerrin Cooper News After Defeating Buccaneers