Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper expected to miss season with Achilles injury
In short
The Green Bay Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-14 in Tampa, Florida, but lost linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to an Achilles tendon injury. Cooper is expected to miss the rest of the season, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. The loss adds to a Packers defense already waiting on edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is working back from a torn ACL.
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The Green Bay Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-14 in their Week 4 game in Tampa, Florida, but lost linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to an Achilles tendon injury in the process, and he is expected to miss the rest of the season. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Cooper was forced to leave the game in the second half and was assisted off the field, according to the Associated Press; Newsweek reported he left in the third quarter. Newsweek, citing CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, said the initial fear was that Cooper had suffered a torn Achilles, and that the three-year NFL veteran was still being evaluated at that point. [ 1 , 4 ]
Reuters reported the following day that Cooper is out for the season, and the Associated Press reported he is expected to miss the rest of the season. In four games this season, Newsweek said, Cooper had recorded one interception, three sacks and 30 combined tackles. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The Associated Press described the injury as “the latest setback” for a Packers defense that is still awaiting the return of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is working his way back after tearing his ACL last December. Head coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that Parsons will not return to practice this week. “The guy is working his butt off to be out there, and I think we've made some ground in the last week,” LaFleur said. “But where and when he'll be available, time will tell.” [ 4 ]
The win over Tampa Bay brought the Packers back to a .500 record, the Associated Press reported. Newsweek said Cooper's injury update changes the outlook for the rest of the Packers' season. [ 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Cooper's expected absence removes a starter from a Packers defense that the Associated Press says is already without its best overall player while Micah Parsons recovers from a torn ACL. The injury, suffered in a Week 4 win, changes the team's outlook for the rest of the season, Newsweek said. Coverage is limited to the injury and the Packers' injury list; the documents give no detail on how the team plans to replace Cooper.
Key facts
- The Green Bay Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-14 in a Week 4 game in Tampa, Florida. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper left the game with an injury; the initial fear was a torn Achilles, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported, and he was still being evaluated. [ 1 ]
- Cooper is expected to miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon injury. [ 2 , 4 ]
- In four games this season, Cooper had recorded one interception, three sacks and 30 combined tackles. [ 1 ]
- The Packers are still awaiting edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is working back after tearing his ACL last December; head coach Matt LaFleur said Parsons will not return to practice this week. [ 4 ]
- The win over Tampa Bay brought the Packers back to a .500 record. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether Cooper's torn Achilles has been officially confirmed. Newsweek reported the tear as the initial fear while Cooper was still being evaluated, and none of the documents cite a team confirmation of the diagnosis.
- Exactly when in the game Cooper was injured. Newsweek says he left in the third quarter, while the Associated Press says he was injured in the second half.
- When Micah Parsons will return. Head coach Matt LaFleur said “time will tell” when Parsons will be available, and the documents give no date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsweek reports that Cooper was forced out of the Packers' Week 4 game against the Buccaneers in the third quarter and that the initial fear is a torn Achilles, with Cooper still being evaluated. [ 1 ]
- Reuters reports that Cooper is out for the season with an Achilles injury. [ 2 ]
- Newsweek says the injury changes the outlook for the rest of the Packers' season. [ 3 ]
- The Associated Press reports Cooper is expected to miss the rest of the season and that Matt LaFleur said Micah Parsons will not return to practice this week. [ 4 ]