The Green Bay Packers are expected to be without linebacker Edgerrin Cooper for the remainder of the 2026 season. He was rumored to have torn his Achilles on Sunday, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that tests on Monday confirmed the injury.
Cooper missed the end of the Packers’ Week 4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to an Achilles injury. After the game, Matt LaFleur said the outlook was “not good” and that they were preparing for him to miss the rest of the season.
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The 24-year-old is in his third season. Green Bay selected him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Cooper played in 14 games as a rookie, making four starts. That year, he had 87 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 1 interception. Cooper finished sixth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Last year, the linebacker started 16 games and tallied 118 combined tackles. He was credited with only ½ a sack but added four passes defended in coverage.
Through four games, Cooper had already tallied 30 tackles, including three sacks, nearly a career-high through the first quarter of the regular season. The linebacker also intercepted a pass and returned it for 18 yards.
Cooper is the latest injury that has hit the Packers. Green Bay has started the season without Micah Parsons, who continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in 2025.
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Wide receiver Jayden Reed suffered a neck injury in Week 2 that required season-ending surgery. Offensive lineman Zach Bako-Bewele will also miss the rest of the season after tearing his right patellar tendon. Backup tight end Luke Musgrave suffered a neck injury in mandatory minicamp, and the team is “hopeful” he can take the field at some point this season.
With Cooper sidelined, the Packers will likely turn to inside linebacker Isaiah McDuffie. He had four tackles in the win and won’t fully replicate Cooper’s impact, but he should help ensure the loss of one of the foundational pieces on defense doesn’t hurt as much.
