Paul Bretl | 8/6/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Now two weeks into training camp, linebacker Eric Wilson appears to be carving out a role for himself in this Packers’ defense.
“It’s just about us getting better,” said Wilson about the competition at linebacker. “I don’t think we focus on that at all. It’s a matter of controlling what you can control and focusing on me and what I can do today to get better and help our team be better. I think that’s what everybody has that same mentality.”
With the additions of Edgerrin Cooper in the second round of this year’s draft and Ty’Ron Hopper in the third round, who joined a linebacker unit with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie, who was ahead of Wilson on the depth chart last season, at least from a defensive perspective, Wilson could have been viewed as the odd-man out.
However, that hasn’t been the case whatsoever. Wilson has been a mainstay in the Packers’ starting defense when the unit is lined up in its new base 4-3 look. With his speed and coverage abilities, Wilson has been the Will linebacker, with Quay Walker in the Middle, and Isaiah McDuffie as the strong-side backer. With the second defense, it has been Wilson and Cooper as the nickel linebackers.
“I think we always draft players that can help us win games,” Wilson said. “Regardless of what’s going on upstairs, I’ve got to control what I can control. Ever since I’ve been in the league, guys are going to get drafted. It’s just a matter of doing what you can do and make sure you handle your business.”
From the outside looking in, we see the end result, which is Wilson lined up on the practice field with the starting 4-3 defense. But what has helped put Wilson get to that point is now eight years of NFL experience and knowing how to attack each day. Cooper and Hopper may have more long-term upside than Wilson, but as incoming rookies, they are still navigating the learning curve that comes with being in the NFL. Wilson, however, has seemingly mastered that off-field process.
“He’s a pro,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. “The way he sits in meeting rooms, takes notes, helps the younger guys, stays after, takes care of his body. You see him show up on special teams, punching the ball out, which I showed to the defense the other day.
“You see him showing up on defense, punching the ball out. He can play multiple positions because he’s a very smart player and he’s reliable and he’s a guy that you can trust that’s gonna go 100 miles an hour and know exactly what to do and he’s gonna try to finish, so I’m very pleased with him. I’m a big fan.”
With Walker and De’Vondre Campbell each working through injuries at various points in 2023, Wilson was able to carve out a niche role for himself, playing 144 snaps, often taking over for McDuffie during obvious passing situations. In addition to those defensive contributions, Wilson was a core special teams player, leading the team in snaps with 345, finishing second in tackles, along with having the fifth-best special teams grade.
This offseason, Wilson signed a one-year, $1.377 million deal to return to Green Bay. The 2024 season will be his third with the Packers.
Fighting for playing time on defense, Wilson could have taken a me-first approach with the Packers’ rookies and let them figure things out on their own, and I’m not sure anyone would blame him. But for Wilson, an established leader in the Packers’ linebacker room, that was never going to be an option.
As an incoming rookie with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2017, Wilson benefitted from veterans Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr and their willingness to help him out. Now the veteran in the room, Wilson believes it’s important to pay that forward, and selflessly recognizes that the more quickly Cooper and Hopper can make an impact, the better it will be for the Packers’ defense as a whole.
“It is important for young guys, especially when I was young,” said Wilson about having veterans to lean on. “I had some really good vets, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr. They always helped me out with any questions I had. I think it’s important to push that forward to help out the rookies. It can only help our entire team out. The faster they come along, the better we’ll be.”
With roughly 70-80 percent of a team’s defensive snaps coming in nickel with only two linebackers on the field–which up to this point has been Walker and McDuffie–it’s not as if Wilson’s role is going to be massive this season. In addition to that, as Cooper gets more acclimated to the playbook and the play at the NFL level, he certainly could take on a larger role as training camp and the season progress.
However, for the time being, Wilson is a fixture in the Packers’ starting defense when lined up in the 4-3, and as of now, there haven’t been any signs that this is going to change. Wilson is more than willing to help the rookies progress, but because of the work he puts in on a daily basis, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be easy to surpass on the Packers’ depth chart.
“You talk about a pro,” said Matt LaFleur. “He does everything the right way, so dependable, you can trust what he’s gonna do out there. Certainly, he’s made a huge impact on teams, but I also I think he continues to get better and better as a linebacker and so, I think he’s a great guy to have in the room, a real leader in the linebacker room and on this football team.”