Packers Lose Edgerrin Cooper for Season to Ruptured Achilles

Green Bay's defense has lost its most disruptive player. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper ruptured his Achilles tendon in the third quarter of Sunday's win over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay and is out for the rest of the season, bringing a cruel end to a start that had him playing at an All-Pro level. Through four games, the third-year linebacker had been one of the NFL's most productive defenders. He ranked third in the league with 7.0 tackles for loss and led all off-ball linebackers in both tackles for loss and sacks (3.0). Analytics backed up the eye test: Aaron Schatz's FTN data credited him with 12 "defeats" — tackles for loss, takeaways or plays preventing a conversion — the most of any linebacker through four games, and his 14 PFF "stops" ranked fifth among all linebackers. He missed just one tackle on 31 attempts. He made his mark even in the game he was hurt, recording a diving interception before halftime that set up a field goal, a sack on third down and a tackle short of the sticks on another third down in the three-point win. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday: "He's a really good player. Can do a lot of things for us. My heart hurts for him... It's a tough break. Hard to replace a guy like that, obviously." Cooper joins a growing list of Packers stars whose seasons have been cut short by major injuries.