The Green Bay Packers have not been able to catch many breaks health-wise this season. As they are starting to figure out the cluster of injuries on their offensive line, a big injury came to their defense in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ascending linebacker Edgerrin Cooper hurt his Achilles and was quickly deemed out.
The injury appeared to be a non-contact injury. Cooper was attempting to blitz, and when he changed directions to drop back into coverage, he fell to the ground. Cooper was carted off of the field.
📺: FOX
It is too early to tell how long or what the exact injury for Cooper is. However, when a non-contact injury like that occurs to an Achilles, it can be easy to fear the worst. This is disappointing for a third-year player who was making significant strides in 2026.
Green Bay Packers Lose Edgerrin Cooper with Achilles Injury
Cooper was a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He only started in four games as a rookie, but he had a part-time role in the defense as a sub-package rusher who could also align off of the ball.
He recorded 3.5 sacks and an interception as a rookie. Cooper ascended into more of a linebacker in year two. He started in all 16 games and recorded 118 total tackles. He was not used as much in the pass-rushing role, but he was going to head into year three as a leader of the defense and a potential green dot.
Cooper was one of the big impact players of the early season. He had 21 tackles with six for loss. He also added two sacks. Through three weeks, he was set for the best season of his career. The Achilles injury should sideline him for a few weeks in a best-case scenario. It could be a season-ender.
Packers Hoping for the Best With Cooper
If Cooper is out for the year, the timing could not be worse. While this is not a contract year, he would be entering his fourth season, which is his last year on his rookie contract. Cooper was expected to put up a strong season and then sign a big contract extension this offseason.
The Packers have shown that they will do contract negotiations with players off of season-ending surgeries. They extended Tucker Kraft before the last year of his deal this offseason.
Still, Cooper would now head into the 2027 season with questions about his status and how much the Packers will actually spend on him. The question could have been how much is too much to pay him if he had a strong season.
So, this is an unfortunate turn, even if it just derails a portion of this important season. The Packers’ current backup for Cooper is Isiah McDuffie.
Edgerrin Cooper Injury Update: Packers LB Exits Week 4