Packers Training Camp Preview: LB Depth Chart, Big Battle, Doomsday Scenario

The Green Bay Packers have one of the best linebacker rooms in the NFL. With Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin, the Packers have two playmaking starters. With Isaian McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper, they have strong depth. With Nick Niemann and Kristian Welch, they have proven players for special teams.

They are the focus of Part 8 of our Packers training camp position previews. In case you missed the start of the series, here are the previews for the receivers, tight ends, offensive line, running backs and quarterbacks on offense, and edges and defensive tackles on defense.

Packers Linebackers Depth Chart

Edgerrin Cooper: The 23-year-old’s big-play tackle production crashed from 3.5 sacks and 13 tackles for losses as a rookie in 2024, when he played 491 snaps, to 0.5 sacks and four tackles for losses in 2025, when he played 1,046 snaps. Even with double the playing time, he went from 87 tackles to 118. However, according to Stathead, he allowed 4.8 yards per target – second to the Eagles’ Zack Baun among the 64 linebackers who were targeted at least 30 times.

Zaire Franklin: The Packers acquired the 30-year-old in a trade with the Colts for defensive tackle Colby Wooden. He had 125 tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for losses, five passes defensed and one forced fumble. The man he’s replacing, Quay Walker, had 128 tackles, 2.5 sacks, eight tackles for losses, five passes defensed and zero forced fumbles.

Isaiah McDuffie: McDuffie started 12 of 17 games last season and finished with 92 tackles (80 on defense). He’s the definition of a solid player with a lot of tackles and limited misses. With 500-plus snaps each of the last three seasons, he has at least 86 tackles in each but a total of only two sacks, 11 tackles for losses, one interception, one forced fumble and five passes defensed.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty'ron Hopper (59) intercepts a pass intended for Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ty’Ron Hopper: Hopper played in 17 games with two starts last season but even that amounted to only 126 snaps. Between defense and special teams, he had 24 tackles. His 12 tackles on defense included one TFL. He had a forced fumble during the regular season and an interception in the playoffs. The 2024 third-round pick has played 144 regular-season snaps on defense in two seasons.

Nick Niemann: After four solid seasons with the Chargers, Niemann signed with the Texans in free agency last offseason. He was cut at the end of camp, and the Packers happily scooped him up. He had 11 tackles – three off the team lead – even while missing half the season with a torn pectoral. The Packers re-signed him this offseason.

Kristian Welch: The Wisconsin native is back for his third shot at making the Packers’ 53-man roster. A longtime standout on special teams, he fell short in 2024 and again in 2025, though he signed to the practice squad last year and wound up recording three tackles in 87 special-teams snaps in eight games.

TJ Quinn: The undrafted free agent was the lone rookie addition to the depth chart. He had a predraft visit after leading Louisville in tackles during each of his final three seasons. He’s a bit small but has plenty of speed with a 4.52 in the 40.

Biggest Roster Battle for Packers at Linebackers

Green Bay Packers defenders Isaiah McDuffie (58) and Warren Brinson (91) sack Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Who will be the next man up at linebacker? Maybe that question will be irrelevant. Edgerrin Cooper started the first 16 games last season before getting a break for the final game. In eight seasons, Zaire Franklin missed one of 133 games. (The man Franklin is replacing, Quay Walker, missed 10 of 68 games in four seasons.)

Isaiah McDuffie recently signed a one-year contract extension. Focusing only on defense, he had 80 tackles last season. Of 64 linebackers who played at least 500 snaps, he had the sixth-lowest missed-tackle percentage.

McDuffie’s extension leaves Ty’Ron Hopper’s role in a bit of limbo. By now, the third-round pick should have a key role on the defense. As it stands, he might not have a role at all if McDuffie winds up being the top backup at both linebacker spots.

Ultimately, the decision will come down to whether defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and new position coach Sam Siefkes want to insert a true next man up, meaning an open competition to be the third linebacker, or if it will be pure backups, with McDuffie behind Franklin and Hopper behind Cooper.

The Big Question at Linebackers for the Packers

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) tackles Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Based on his spectacular performance during the second half of his rookie season, Edgerrin Cooper has the potential to be a star. Even while his TFL count plunged last year, he wound up the ninth-ranked linebacker in ESPN’s survey of coaches, scouts and executives.

Can Cooper become a game-wrecking force in Year 3? Without Micah Parsons to start the season, the Packers need all the playmaking they can get. Cooper needs to be one of those players.

“I don’t want to be slept on no more or any of that,” he said. “That’s all I look for. But I just want to do what I do. Just focus on that and all that stuff’s going to come.”

Cooper is being slept on. He is tied with Trevon Diggs (among many others) for 114th in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Doomsday Scenario at Linebacker

The Packers are considered a fringe Super Bowl contender. To really make some noise in the race for the championship, they’ll need their new starting linebackers to be game-wreckers.

But what if Father Time has caught up to Franklin? From 2022 through 2024 – his first three seasons as a full-time starter – Franklin averaged 173 tackles, 8.7 tackles for losses and three forced fumbles. Last season, Franklin had 125 tackles, seven tackles for losses and one forced fumble.

Of the 64 linebackers who played 500 snaps, Franklin was 46th in missed-tackle percentage. Of the 64 linebackers who were targeted at least 30 times in the passing game, he was 48th in yards allowed per target. Walker was 12th and 18th, respectively, in those categories.

The Packers need Franklin to regain his 2024 form, when he was incredible with his NFL-leading 173 tackles. He added 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles for losses and finished second with five forced fumbles. Given the questions about the pass rush and secondary, if Franklin doesn’t join with Cooper to form a powerhouse tandem, the defense could be doomed.

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