Edgerrin Cooper is arguably already the Green Bay Packers' best defensive player, and he can make the difference between the Week 1 loss and getting revenge on the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.
It's easy to forget that Cooper played in the season opener. Having missed most of the preseason with a groin injury, the Packers limited him to just 11 snaps against the Eagles in Brazil. He still finished the game with four tackles, three solo tackles, and a pass defense, earning the Packers' highest defensive PFF grade.
Cooper showed star potential in limited snaps in Week 1. Fast forward to today, and the rookie has carved out a full-time role as one of the Packers' defensive stars.
In his past seven games, Cooper has made 58 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, four quarterback hits, three pass defenses, and one interception. He will undoubtedly make the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Cooper became the first Packers rookie since 1991 to make a sack and interception in the same game while also taking home two NFC Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Edgerrin Cooper holds the key for Packers to upset Eagles in NFC Wild Card Round
The Packers' defense struggled to stop Saquon Barkley in Week 1, giving up 132 total yards and three touchdowns. Cooper can change that.
He proved in the Week 17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings the kind of impact he can make against the run. Aaron Jones is one of the league's best running backs at making defenders miss in the open field. Not against Cooper, who finished the game with an impressive four tackles for loss to earn an elite PFF run defense grade of 91.5.
The Packers need Cooper to have a similar performance when Barkley inevitably finds space on Sunday. It's impossible to shut down the Eagles' All-Pro running back, who almost set an NFL record with 2,005 regular-season rushing yards. The key is to restrict his success, and Cooper can do that.
That's not the only impact the rookie can have.
The Packers did a good job of containing Jalen Hurts in the pocket in Week 1, rarely letting him escape to run. Hurts had 33 rushing yards, his fifth-lowest total of the season. Cooper's breakout could allow Jeff Hafley to take a more aggressive pass-rush approach, knowing Cooper can chase down Hurts if he escapes the pocket and runs.
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Hafley used a "mush rush" approach in Week 1, with the aim of containing Hurts in the pocket without being overly aggressive and creating rushing lanes. Cooper's speed, athleticism, and instincts help him close space almost instantly, which should give Hafley more confidence to send pressure.
And some of that pressure could come from Cooper, who recorded four sacks in the regular season and earned a PFF pass-rush grade of 90.1, which ranked second among all linebackers in the NFL. Only 10-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner had a higher grade.
In short, Cooper can do a bit of everything. The Packers will need him to stop the run, especially when Hurts takes off, but he can offer so much more. Hafley hinted at using Cooper more off the edge at some point, and it won't be surprising if they have created some new looks for him in the playoffs.
Despite only playing 11 snaps in Week 1, Cooper made several big plays against the Eagles. Eighteen weeks later, he could make the difference in the rematch. Cooper is a future star—a difference-maker. No Packers defender has made a bigger impact over the past month, and he holds the key to an upset victory in the NFC Wild Card Round.