Paul Bretl | 12/21/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Earlier in the week, Matt LaFleur would call Packers’ linebacker “week to week” after he exited the Seattle game with an ankle injury. Through two days of practice, Walker has been a non-participant and was seen in the locker room with a boot on his left foot.
With it trending in the direction that Walker won’t be available on Monday night against New Orleans, the question then becomes, who will start at Mike linebacker for the Packers in his absence?
Perhaps the name on the radar of many right now is Edgerrin Cooper, given his lights-out performance against Seattle. So why not give him a larger role and put that playmaking ability right in the middle of the defense?
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Cooper played just 34 snaps against Seattle, but goodness were they impactful. According to PFF, he recorded three pressures, one sack, made a handful of tackles, and allowed just two receptions on six targets for 13 yards with an interception and a pass breakup. As a result, Cooper was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.
When there is the type of speed an athleticism at the linebacker position that Cooper possesses, there is added flexibility for Jeff Hafley in how he builds out the gameplan and deploys other positions because of the ground he can cover.
However, Cooper is still a rookie navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump from college to the NFL level. He’s also missed practice time on a few different occasions since training camp due to injuries. That is a lot of valuable snaps missed out on, which in part, is why he’s played just 34 snaps this past Sunday, with Green Bay wanting to continue easing him back in.
Asking Cooper to play the Mike linebacker position right now would be throwing him into a brand new role on the fly, putting a lot on his plate, and potentially limiting his impact.
“The thing you’ve got to be really careful of as a young guy who’s missed a lot of practice is, trying to get him to learn too much because he just hasn’t had the reps at one, let alone two (positions),” said Jeff Hafley on Thursday of Cooper. “Like, he’s played some Sam for us, and now he’s playing a lot of Will, so you’ve got to be really careful overloading him or he won’t be able to go out there.
“It’s not as easy as you think, right? It’s not like, ‘I’m going to go out and play corner, and then I’m going to play nickel.’ There’s more that goes into switching from that position.”
So if it’s not Cooper, that really leaves either Eric Wilson or Isaiah McDuffie to fill that role. Perhaps rather than guessing what the Packers might do on Monday, we can look to what they did in past games this season for the answer.
When Walker exited the Houston game in Week 7 with an injury, it was Wilson who stepped into the Mike role mid-game. The following week against Jacksonville, with Walker still out, it was again Wilson who wore the green dot, and he took some snaps there as well in Week 2 against Indianapolis.
Now in his seventh NFL season, Wilson brings experience to what is a younger Packers’ linebacker room. Oftentimes, with that experience, you’ve seen more; you’ve been in numerous different situations, allowing for a larger workload and a greater understanding of the defensive scheme. But getting to that point on Sundays begins with the work that is put in during the week leading up to the game.
“Eric, he’s just a consistent person,” said Matt LaFleur. “He’s very regimented in terms of his approach. I think that you don’t look like that if you’re not disciplined. He’s just consistent. That’s the best way I can describe him. He just goes out there and executes, and he does it in two phases of the game, he does it on defense and then on teams as well.”
I would also think that part of the equation when making this decision is which player can be on the field for 60-70 plays because your Mike linebacker can’t be coming off in specific situations–he’s the signal caller. Wilson, with his ability in coverage, brings a more well-rounded skill-set compared to McDuffie, who is oftentimes at his best when defending the run.
The responsibilities of the Mike linebacker go well beyond just getting the play-call in for the rest of the defense. This player is essentially the quarterback on the defensive side of the ball, tasked with getting everyone set, making pre-snap adjustments and so much more.
“When you have to tell everybody else what they’re doing and then go out and execute your job, I know that might not seem hard, but that’s not easy,” Hafley said. “Some of our calls can be kind of lengthy. So for him to make a tackle, get up, shake off whatever has happened, gather everybody up, tell everybody the call, hear something else, I might tell him what I think is coming to tell this guy or that guy and then line up and make a close call.
“I mean, there’s a lot that goes into that and I think he’s a veteran guy who brings a calmness and I think he’s had success doing that.”
With Wilson at the Mike, the Packers can–as much as possible in this situation–maintain continuity at the position, keeping Cooper as the Will and McDuffie as the Sam linebackers. And while that continuity element does seem small, whether talking offense or defense, it is very important.
“At that position there’s a lot that goes into it,” Hafley said. “One, he’s got to get the call from me, he’s got to give that to everybody, he’s got to make checks up front, he’s got to make checks behind him, he’s got to calm everything down, he’s got to get certain guys lined up. Eric’s a really smart player.”