Packers get a boost from second-year DE Brenton Cox Jr.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Rasheed Walker thought he had déjà vu after what he saw Brenton Cox Jr. do in Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.

Walker, the Green Bay Packers' starting left tackle, watched from the sideline as Cox, the second-year defensive end, raced into the backfield and tackled Bears running back D'Andre Swift for a 3-yard loss on Chicago's first possession of the game.

But there was no way Walker would have done that before Sunday, because Cox had not played a single snap this season.

Nine games into the 2024, Cox had been inactive -- a healthy scratch -- for every single one of them. This after Cox dressed for just five games last season as a rookie, appearing in four of them for a total of 13 plays -- nine special teams and four defensive snaps.

Then Walker remembered one of the team meetings last week, when coach Matt LaFleur put up a clip from practice.

"Literally, it was the exact same scenario," Walker said this week. "Brenton doesn't hesitate and attacks the mesh. It was literally like a spitting image of what he ended up doing on that play in the game. That's practicing with a purpose."

But Cox wasn't done with just one tackle for loss against the Bears. He darted into the backfield again and sacked Caleb Williams. In 22 snaps, Cox finished with three tackles (including those two for a loss) and a pair of quarterback hits. Had the Packers not traded Preston Smith earlier in the month, Cox may never have gotten that opportunity.

"It's been hard, man, just coming into work and doing the same thing every day with no result is ..." said Cox, who couldn't even find the words to finish the sentence. "You've got to be a really patient guy for that. I just love what I do. I love coming in and making plays, so that kept me motivated."

It also boosted his spirits that what he had done in practice showed up in the team meeting.

"I think that stuff is powerful, I really do," LaFleur said of showing practice clips. "It really paints a picture of practicing with a purpose."

Cox also showed remarkable poise for someone itching to play. While blocking on a punt return in the second quarter, Bears linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga head-butted Cox. Ogbongbemiga was flagged for unnecessary roughness and, because Cox did not retaliate, the Packers weren't flagged for an ensuing penalty.

"He had the play on [special teams] where he drew a personal foul," LaFleur said. "He kicked the guy's butt in front of him, drove him back, the guy got frustrated, head-butted him and then he didn't respond. He kept his poise, and that's something that we talked about.

"Gotta give him a lot of credit because that's not always easy to do in the heat of the battle, so I was really happy with his play and happy for him."

It also showed just how much Cox had grown since his college days. He went undrafted in large part because he was kicked off the teams at both Georgia and Florida. In his last collegiate game, he threw a punch at the end of a play. Florida coach Billy Napier indicated that was just the final straw, telling reporters at the time that Cox's dismissal was "a cumulative effect."