Paul Bretl | 11/19/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers second-year defensive end Brenton Cox went from being a healthy scratch on Sundays in the first half of the season to playing a fairly significant role in Week 11 against the Bears, and he capitalized on the opportunity.
“It feels good,” said Cox after the game. “Just taking advantage of the opportunity. I knew I had a lot on my plate, so just going out there and playing hard.”
In his debut, Cox was a key member of the Packers’ defensive end rotation. While, as expected, Rashan Gary and JJ Enagbare led the way in playing time with 46 and 41 snaps, respectively, Cox’s 22 snaps were only two fewer than what Lukas Van Ness saw and twice as many as Arron Mosby’s 10 snaps.
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Cox would finish the game with two pressures, according to PFF, and a sack, where he few into the backfield, not concerned about the run-action component on the play as he made a bee-line for Caleb Williams. Cox also recorded three tackles in the run game, two of which were for a loss.
“I thought he played really well,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “Obviously was impactful in the game and not only on defense. He had the play on we-fense where he drew a personal foul. He kicked the guy’s butt in front of him, drove him back, the guy got frustrated, head butted him and then he didn’t respond.
“He kept his poise, and that’s something that we talked about. Gotta give him a lot of credit because that’s not always easy to do in the heat of the battle, so I was really happy with his play and happy for him.”
From the outside looking in, Cox’s emergence may have seemingly come out of nowhere, to a degree. As already stated, he went from not playing at all to recording multiple pressures and tackles for loss. But inside the building, the coaching staff could see this coming. The momentum that Cox built during training camp has carried over into the regular season, specifically during team practices, where he continued to pop up on the film each week.
“I think there’s a string of two practices where Cox, I just thought, he looked like he was ready to go,” said Jeff Hafley last Thursday. “What’s really cool to see when guys earn their opportunity and I think he’s a really good example of that. And I am really, really excited for him.”
As an undrafted rookie in 2023 out of Florida, Cox’s ability to get after the quarterback and intriguing upside earned him a roster spot last season–although he played only five defensive snaps. He is a power rusher who wins with heavy and violent hands. There was one pass rush rep from Cox early on in training camp where the pop of his hands hitting the offensive tackle’s pads echoed throughout Ray Nitschke field and drove the tackle into the backfield.
Like many NFL players entering their sophomore season, Cox benefits from having a full offseason to work on his craft rather than training for the NFL combine and doing interviews. There is also the added comfortability that comes from the experience gained over the last year and knowing what it takes to be a professional day in and day out.
It’s for these reasons and others that we often hear about a Year 2 leap for many successful NFL players. But in addition to the experience that Cox has gained over the last 18 months since he joined the Packers, this is a defensive system under Hafley that suits Cox’s play-style well, and it’s one that he has “embraced,” as LaFleur said over the summer, where the primary objective of the defensive front is to get off the ball and get into the backfield as quickly as possible.
“Every opportunity when I’m on the field is an opportunity for me to get better and show what I can do,” said Cox. “Just going in there with that confidence, whether it’s on scout team or when I’m getting reps with the defense, just looking to win every rep. That’s how I never get tired of it. That’s how I keep it fun and keep my motivation going by just trying to win.”
On the flip side, a significant increase in playing time for Cox, meant relatively fewer opportunities for Lukas Van Ness, although he still remains an important part of the rotation.
Over 151 pass-rush snaps this season, Van Ness has totaled only seven pressures and one sack. By PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric, which as the name suggests, measures how often a pass-rusher wins his one-on-one matchup, he ranks 99th out of 119 eligible defensive ends this season.
“I think he’s had flashes,” Hafley said last week of Van Ness. “Certainly, in the run game, I think he’s playing really well. We’re playing pretty good run defense overall, and he’s a huge part of that. And then there’s moments when he’s had some nice rushes and good plays in the pass game. It’s just going to be about being consistent and keep working at, which he’s done.”
Cox is a former five-star recruit coming out of high school who then produced in the SEC–the talent was always there for him to be successful. But like just about any young player, refining his game and navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump from college to the NFL was always going to be a part of his NFL journey. It’s a process that Cox has fully embraced with how he attacks each day, and the payoff is the opportunity to be a key member of Green Bay’s defensive end rotation.
“I would expect to see more of him and hopefully he’ll continue to grow as a player,” added LaFleur. “But I think it all starts with approach, how he attacks it, how he comes into the building. He’s had to earn everything he’s gotten up to this point, but I am excited about him and I think there’s going to be more out there for him.”