Josh Jacobs is on offense, but he sees the impact that Cooper is making after going up against him in practice, and he had some big praise for the second-year player on the Up & Adams Show.
“He kind of reminds me of Fred. Just the way that he moves. Fred is so instinctual and smart as a football player,” Jacobs said.
“The way that he plays… how quick he reacts to things… how he can catch the ball…”
Packers RB Josh Jacobs compares LB Edgerrin Cooper to future HOF Fred Warner 🤯👀@heykayadams | @iAM_JoshJacobs | @packers #GoPackGo @edgerrincooper1 pic.twitter.com/NyXHBw6N6X
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 21, 2025
“The way that he plays, how quick he reacts to things and how he can catch the ball, get bendy on a tackle or offensive lineman, he has that,” Jacobs continued. “So, he definitely reminds me of that. I think he needs to clean up a little bit more of the way he hits, but the way he attacks them, pretty much the way he moves, yeah for sure.”
That’s big praise for Cooper, as Warner is one of the better linebackers in the league, and has been for some time with the San Francisco 49ers.
Cooper is not close to Warner’s level yet, but he can definitely get there with consistency. Last season, he finished with 87 tackles, 57 solo tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and four passes defended. That led him to finish sixth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Packers looking for a consistent season from defense
The Packers’ defense is still a young core, but they have some players who can make an impact. Xavier McKinney leads the safety group, and he’s had some good play over the course of his young career. The defensive line has some good players as well, with Kenny Clark and Lukas Van Ness manning the front.
Quay Walker and Cooper will be key at the linebacker position, and the hope is that they can excel in stopping the run, causing turnovers in the passing game. The offense has been the key to the Packers’ success for the past few seasons, but if their defense is able to take that next step, things could be looking up for the team this year.
