The Green Bay Packers searched for ways to navigate the opening stretch without Micah Parsons.
Part of the answer could involve moving a top linebackers somewhere unexpected.
Edgerrin Cooper has been lining up on the edge in defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s “Penny” package, per Acme Packing Company’s Justis Mosqueda.
The wrinkle keeps Cooper on the field when Green Bay shifts into a one-linebacker look. Instead of removing Cooper for another defensive back, Gannon has moved him outside and taken a traditional edge rusher off the field.
So far, Cooper has primarily dropped into coverage from the alignment rather than rushing the passer, per Mosqueda, handing opposing offenses an additional detail to sort through before the snap and offers Gannon a way to take advantage of Cooper’s range.
Parsons will begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform list after tearing his ACL late last year, leaving the Packers without their leading sack producer for at least four games.
Cooper Gives Packers a Valuable Chess Piece
Cooper entered his third NFL season as one of the more intriguing pieces of Gannon’s new defense.
The 24-year-old started all 16 games he appeared in last season and recorded 117 tackles, including 63 solo stops. He also registered two forced fumbles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and seven pressures.
His rookie season demonstrated various sides to his game, with Cooper finishing 2024 with 13 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks while playing only 55% of the defensive snaps.
Gannon now gets the opportunity to blend those traits together.
“It really is the truth when I tell you guys this is going to be a new system this year,” Gannon said in May through Packers.com.
Green Bay’s official site specifically pointed to finding places for Cooper to attack when Gannon began installing the defense. Cooper continued flashing throughout camp, including an Aug. 24 practice in which he broke up a pass and twice penetrated the backfield for potential tackles for loss, per Packers.com.
Moving him outside in the Penny package adds another possibility.
Mosqueda described the personnel grouping as featuring three defensive tackles, one off-ball linebacker and three safeties. Cooper’s ability to slide toward the edge allows Green Bay to get into that look without sacrificing one of its most productive defenders.
Parsons Absence Heightens Importance of Packers’ Experiment
The Packers have other options while Parsons works his way back.
Green Bay kept Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox and Dani Dennis-Sutton as its four healthy edge rushers on the initial 53-man roster.
Van Ness and Sorrell also handled first-team work during training camp while Parsons rehabbed. Cooper’s presence on the edge can allow Gannon to alter the picture without making a substitution.
There are lingering thoughts to answer once the games begin.
Mosqueda pointed to run containment as an area to watch when Cooper is matched against NFL offensive tackles and tight ends. The Penny package could also evolve once Parsons returns and Gannon has his premier pass rusher available.
Until then, Green Bay has reason to test its newest wrinkle.
The Packers open the regular season Sept. 13 on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, and Parsons will be unavailable for Gannon’s debut as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator.
Cooper will be there, and the Packers appear prepared to move him around to make up for what their defense is missing.
Packers Turn to Rising Defender for New Role Without Micah Parsons