The Green Bay Packers are waiting for Edgerrin Cooper to get healthy, but in the meantime they’re bringing in his former college teammate to help out at linebacker in training camp.
NFL insider Aaron Wilson posted to X that the Packers were signing linebacker Chris Russell. The former Texas A&M Aggies linebacker played alongside Cooper during their college careers.
Russell was signed after a successful workout for the team. Other players brought in for workouts included former Houston Texans running back Gerrid Doaks, running back Nate McCrary, and linebacker Isaiah Moore.
No other players were signed immediately after workouts besides Russell. It’ll be a huge opportunity for the former Aggies linebacker, who is getting his first NFL training camp experience.
Who Is Chris Russell?
The rest of the league hasn’t viewed Russell as an NFL-caliber linebacker. However, he comes into Green Bay with plenty of college experience.
Russell was a 3-star recruit coming out of Tennessee back in 2019. His offers included multiple SEC programs, including Arkansas and Auburn, before he made his commitment to play for Texas A&M.
It didn’t take long for Russell to see the field in college. Although he started playing primarily on special teams, he worked his way into the defensive rotation over the next couple of years. His best season came in 2022, where he racked up 66 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
While Russell’s production took a dip in 2023, the highlight play of his career came in his final college season. In the third quarter of a tight game against Arkansas, Russell intercepted a batted ball, returning it all the way for a touchdown.
As an NFL prospect, Russell has a smaller frame at 6-foot-0 and 235 pounds. However, he tested well in the pre-draft process, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 8.58 thanks to a strong 40-yard dash time of 4.54 seconds.
The tape wasn’t good enough for Russell to get drafted. He’s been waiting for another chance after attending Packers rookie minicamp, and now he’s heading back to Green Bay trying to fight for a practice squad spot.
The Packers Are Gutted at Linebacker
Most of Green Bay’s linebackers should be ready to go by Week 1. Unfortunately, that’s not the case right now heading into the second preseason game.
The Packers are dealing with multiple injuries at the position. Edgerrin Cooper was one of the biggest rookies Packers fans were hoping to watch in the opener. Instead, he’s been sidelined with a hip injury since the end of July, and hasn’t returned to practice since.
It’s unclear when Cooper will return, but it’s assumed that he’ll be ready for the regular season. Meanwhile, fellow rookie linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper finally returned to practice on August 13 after dealing with an ankle injury.
Injuries to those two rookies could really hurt their ability to get acclimated to the NFL game. It will likely result in plenty of rust in the early weeks, or Matt LaFleur holding them back and easing them into the rotation while they try to get comfortable in Green Bay’s defensive scheme.
Either way, former first-round pick Quay Walker will have to shoulder an even bigger workload in 2024. Expect Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson to get some early-season reps as well.
