GREEN BAY, Wis. — There won’t be any uncertainty around the status of Edgerrin Cooper once Sunday afternoon rolls around.
The Green Bay Packers’ star linebacker has cleared concussion protocol and will play in this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was a likely outcome after Cooper was upgraded to a full practice participant on Friday. Even so, he was still listed as questionable on the final injury report.
Cooper, a former second-round pick, has also been battling a shoulder injury that occurred before exiting last week’s game versus the Atlanta Falcons. It presumably isn’t anything to be concerned with, as Cooper was removed from the Packers’ injury report entirely on Saturday.
Cooper has been off to a blazing start to begin his third season in the league. Across three games—including one that he departed from early—he’s tied with fellow linebacker Zaire Franklin for second on the team in total tackles. He also has two sacks, one-and-a-half away from eclipsing his career best for a single season. Cooper leads the team with six tackles for a loss of yards.
In his first season under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Cooper’s talents have been maximized. Rather than playing exclusively as a traditional linebacker, Cooper has also been utilized on the edge as a pass rusher. Sans Micah Parsons, who won’t be back on the field until November, Gannon has had to get creative with Cooper’s usage, and it has paid major dividends for the Packers’ defense.
The Packers also placed defensive tackle Warren Brinson on injured reserve. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed on Friday that Brinson was going to be shelved for a “significant” amount of time with his latest ailment.
Brinson originally suffered a calf injury during warm-ups ahead of the Packers’ Aug. 21 preseason meeting with the Denver Broncos. This past Wednesday marked his return to practice for the first time since the injury, but the celebratory occasion was short-lived. Brinson dropped out of the session after slipping and injuring his groin.
“Injuries occur,” LaFleur said. “A lot of times, it’s non-contact.”
After avoiding it initially to begin the season, Brinson is now staring down a stint on injured reserve, which would keep him sidelined for at least four games. The soonest he’ll be eligible to return will be Oct. 29, when the Packers host the Carolina Panthers on a Thursday night.
Brinson played sparingly in a rotational role last season as a rookie; he was only on the field for roughly 38 percent of the defense’s snaps. He appeared in 11 games and totaled as many pressures as a pass rusher, as well as 0.5 sacks—split with linebacker Isaiah McDuffie—and 13 tackles.
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.