Tests confirm Edgerrin Cooper’s season ends with torn Achilles

Edgerrin Cooper will miss the rest of the season after an MRI confirmed a torn Achilles, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday. The diagnosis turns Green Bay’s worst fear after its 17-14 win at Tampa Bay into a season-long problem for the middle of its defense.

Cooper had nine tackles, a sack and an interception before he went down without contact in the third quarter. The Packers’ official game report put the injury at 8:43 remaining in that period. He was carted to the locker room and immediately ruled out.

Matt LaFleur had already warned after the game that the injury looked season ending. Rapoport’s Sunday report captured the coach’s initial assessment; Monday’s tests supplied the confirmation.

Isaiah McDuffie replaced Cooper alongside Zaire Franklin. That gives Green Bay an immediate option with experience in the defense, although replacing Cooper’s ability to make plays across the middle will require more than matching his spot on the depth chart. The Packers’ own Monday analysis described the loss as a significant reduction in the unit’s playmaking.

Sunday showed how Green Bay could adjust during a game. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon sent McDuffie on an inside blitz during Tampa Bay’s final possession, helping force an incompletion. Safety Evan Williams then sacked rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels and pressured him again on fourth down as the Packers protected their three-point lead.

Cooper and Williams had intercepted Daniels in the first half, and those takeaways set up Green Bay’s first 10 points. The injury removed one of the players responsible for putting the Packers in position to win.

The defense is also waiting for Micah Parsons to make his 2026 debut. Cooper joins receiver Jayden Reed and tackle Zach Bako-Bewele among Green Bay starters lost for the season, leaving the Packers to prepare for their next game with another major role to fill.

McDuffie finished Sunday with four tackles. Ty’Ron Hopper briefly stepped in when McDuffie lost a contact lens, then McDuffie returned for the next drive. That sequence identified the available linebacker depth without settling how Green Bay will distribute the work over the rest of the season.