Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during Sunday's 17-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Cooper underwent an MRI, which confirmed the nature of his injury.
The third-year pro went down without contact and reached for his lower left leg well away from where safety Xavier McKinney sacked Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels with 8:31 left in the third quarter. Cooper could not put any weight on his left leg and was ruled out shortly after he was carted off the field.
Cooper, a second-round pick in 2024, came into the game with 21 tackles, a team-best six tackles for loss and was second on the team with two sacks through the first three games. In 2½ quarters Sunday, he added nine more tackles, including a sack. In the second quarter, Cooper's first interception of the season and second of his career helped give the Packers the lead.
The Packers (2-2) held on to win despite two fourth-quarter turnovers thanks in part to the defensive performance without Cooper. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon blitzed on the Bucs' final three plays, and the result was a sack by safety Evan Williams, a short completion and a near interception by cornerback Keisean Nixon.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing