A lot of eyes were on the debut of Jeff Hafley’s new-look defense in the Green Bay Packers’ season opener. Things got off to an explosive start with a pair of turnovers, including one by Xavier McKinney, the team’s expensive new center fielder.
However, the unit sank into familiar territory as the game rolled on. The Philadelphia Eagles and their elite ground game were always going to be a challenge. When new acquisition Saquon Barkley turned on his game-breaking ability behind a sound offensive line, it brought about the same helplessness with which one would watch Joe Barry’s defense in clutch time.
New coordinator; same demoralizing result.
With a king’s ransom of Brian Gutekunst’s first-round selections on the field, Philadelphia was still able to salt the final seven-minutes-and-change of play in gut-wrenching fashion.
From a Hafley standpoint, there’s a lot to take away from this. We saw a full migration to 4-3 personnel, which promises to fortify the box and open the pass-rushing game up for Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary. We also saw much more creativity with blitzing, which was frustratingly absent under Barry. Hafley’s pressures made a rusty Jalen Hurts uncomfortable, forcing him to make three turnovers and what would have been the story of the game had Keisean Nixon hauled in a potential pick-six.
There’s room to believe the unit will only improve from here. On the one hand, the Packers will face a plethora of upcoming opponents with less offensive firepower than Philadelphia. On the other hand, young talent is emerging to fill areas of need.
Edgerrin Cooper is the first name that has leaped out on that front. A second-round pick out of Texas A&M earlier this year, Cooper only played 11 snaps, but he looked explosive and found his way into the box score with three tackles and a pass deflection. Matt LaFleur acknowledged his strong performance, indicating that he “would anticipate getting him more time in the future.”
Cooper’s explosiveness shined in the role of containing Hurts on the backside of Philly’s zone-based running scheme. It makes sense to deploy him more heavily this Sunday against Anthony Richardson, to whom the term “mobile quarterback” does not do justice. He will be fighting for snaps with the current trio of starting linebackers: Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and Eric Wilson.
Wilson stands out as having the most tenuous role. The second-year player out of UCLA became a Packers legend of sorts in January when he made an incredible play to recover Nixon’s fumble at the end of a long kick return. That play bought him some opportunities outside of special teams.
However, that could quickly change if Cooper continues to emerge. Walker’s role is rock solid as he looks to take a leap in his third season since the Packers drafted him out of Georgia in the first round. He got skewered after filling numerous holes that Barkley had already vacated. However, he often found himself cleaning up after Clark, who had a rough day against Philadelphia’s interior linemen. Just like for the rest of the unit, Green Bay’s easier matchups coming up should allow them to play more downhill.
Cooper’s dynamism as a blitzer is another aspect of his game, and it will be exciting to see him deployed in a crucial home opener in which the defense will likely have to outdo itself in Jordan Love‘s absence. The Packers have been known to ease premium draft picks into their roles, with recent first-rounders Devonte Wyatt, Rashan Gary, and Lukas Van Ness being some obvious examples. However, the early indications suggest that it’s only a matter of time until the best 11 find their way onto the field. That also pertains to Van Ness; Kingsley Enagbare loudly out-snapped him fresh off a season-ending ACL injury.
The Packers are finding themselves in an uncomfortable position as Richardson and the Colts come to town. They are decent underdogs in a home opener they would have otherwise been favored in had Love not gone down in the closing seconds last week. Green Bay expects Love to miss a minimum of three games. LaFleur is doing his best to project optimism as rivals prepare their game plans. However, the media has stuck to this timeline and Love has not been seen on the practice field this week.
Former Tennessee Titans third-rounder Malik Willis will get the start, and that side of the ball should be a frustrating experience. A lot has fallen on Hafley to do the heavy lifting in a crucial bid to get into the win column and keep pace in a crowded NFC. Look for him to lean on his explosive emerging stars, with Edgerrin Cooper near the top of that list.
