The Green Bay Packers linebacker room just took a massive hit, with star Edgerrin Cooper officially landing on injured reserve this Tuesday afternoon. The guy tore his Achilles tendon in their 17-14 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and honestly, once those medical exams came through on Monday, it was only a matter of time before this move dropped. This is brutal news for a guy who was absolutely balling out early in his third NFL season.
A Massive Loss for Green Bay’s Defense
Let’s be real, losing Cooper right now is a huge blow for the Packers. The dude was emerging as an All-Pro candidate in 2026, which is just wild to think about. Before this injury, in just over seven halves of football, he’d already racked up three sacks, an interception, and 30 tackles. That’s serious production! Last year, his second in the league, he started 17 of 18 games and put up 118 total tackles, a half-sack, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He was consistently making plays, and now, poof, he’s out. You hate to see it for any player, especially when they’re hitting their stride like that.
Welch Steps In, Special Teams Gets a Boost
To fill that 53-man roster spot, the Packers are calling up veteran linebacker and special teams ace Kristian Welch. Welch has been kicking it on the Packers’ practice squad for the first four weeks of the regular season, but now he’s fully promoted to step into Cooper’s spot. We’re talking about a guy who has spent parts of the last few seasons with Green Bay, so he knows the system. He’s almost certainly going to contribute on special teams right away. With backup linebacker Isaiah McDuffie getting more defensive reps lately, they definitely needed another body on those units. Plus, an injury to running back Chris Brooks, another special teams workhorse, could mean even more snaps for Welch. He’s got some history too, playing one game for them earlier this year in their Week 1 loss to Minnesota where he made one special teams tackle, and had stints in 2023 and 2025 before his own IR trip last December.
Meanwhile, with Brooks banged up, the Packers didn’t waste any time filling that vacant practice squad spot. They brought back Damon Bankston, a familiar face who was on the squad earlier this season. He’s rejoining Pierre Strong, Jr. there, and honestly, Strong could be looking at a gameday callup himself if Brooks’ injury keeps him out of the lineup this weekend. The dominoes are falling for Green Bay, and they need these guys to step up big time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
Leave a Reply