Once Monday’s medical exams took place, the Green Bay Packers moving linebacker Edgerrin Cooper to injured reserve was only a matter of when, not if, it would take place. The star linebacker tore his Achilles tendon in the Packers’ 17-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and as of Tuesday afternoon he has officially gone to injured reserve.
Taking Cooper’s place on the 53-man roster will be Kristian Welch, the veteran linebacker and special teams ace who has spent parts of the last few seasons with
the Packers. Welch, who had been on the Packers’ practice squad over the first four weeks of the regular season, has been fully promoted to the 53-man roster to take Cooper’s place, both on the roster and in the linebacker room.
Welch will almost certainly contribute immediately on special teams. The Packers used veteran backup linebacker Isaiah McDuffie heavily on teams over the first month of the season, but more reps for him on defense will mean that the team likely needs another body there. An injury to running back Chris Brooks, who also plays heavily on teams, could result in additional snaps for Welch on those units as well.
Cooper started 17 of the Packers’ 18 games last year at linebacker, recording 118 total tackles with a half-sack, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. However, he had been emerging as an All-Pro candidate in 2026, his third NFL season, having recorded three sacks, an interception, and 30 tackles in just over 7 halves of football before his injury.
Welch, meanwhile, has played one game for the Packers in 2026, as he was elevated to the gameday roster for the week 1 loss to Minnesota and made one special teams tackle. He played for the Packers in 2023 (14 games, 6 tackles), and 2025 (8 games, 3 tackles) as well, spending the second half of last season on the active roster before going on injured reserve himself in December.
Meanwhile, with Brooks banged up, the Packers filled the vacant practice squad spot with a familiar running back. The team has brought back Damon Bankston, who spent a few weeks on the squad earlier this season. He rejoins Pierre Strong, Jr. on the squad, with Strong being a viable candidate to earn a gameday callup if Brooks’ injury is significant enough to keep him out of the lineup this weekend.
