Without Micah Parsons, There’s No Time to Rest for Packers’ Brenton Cox

With Micah Parsons’ absence expected to stretch well into October, there is one overriding question surrounding the Green Bay Packers with the start of training camp about one month away.

Who’s going to rush the passer?

The Packers had 36 sacks last season. Led by Parsons, a total of 24.5 sacks will either be on the sideline or some other team’s sideline. That leaves 11.5 sacks – Parsons had 12.5 by himself. Devonte Wyatt had four and the remaining edge rushers combined for four.

The hype train is at full steam for Lukas Van Ness, for whatever that’s worth. His career high in sacks is four, which he put up in 17 games as a rookie.

The secret sauce for this season could be Brenton Cox, who had four sacks in the seven games following the 2024 trade of Preston Smith.

“I would hope so,” Cox said during minicamp. “A lot of the guys have had to pick up the slack since Micah has been out. And, you know, that’s what we’re here to do. I definitely think I’m talented enough to pick up the slack and get to the quarterback.”

When the Packers traded Smith, the thought was it was to create more opportunities for Van Ness. The reality is Cox was the prime beneficiary. He was inactive for the first nine games of the season, but he was too impactful on the practice field to keep stashed on the bench on gamedays.

In seven games, Cox rushed the passer 97 times. Among the 130 edge defenders to hit that mark, Cox finished 12th in pass-rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus. In PFF’s pass-rush productivity, a metric that measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap, Cox finished second. It was a who’s-who list. Aidan Hutchinson was first, Myles Garrett was third, Parsons was fourth, Trey Hendrickson was fifth and Nick Bosa was sixth.

Unfortunately for Cox, he was unable to build on that momentum. He suffered a groin injury in Week 1 last season and didn’t return until Week 16. He started the Week 18 game at Minnesota and had one sack and four pressures.

Packers edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. causes a fumble by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Not really disappointing,” he said. “I played hard, got hurt. It happens. This year, just a better opportunity for me to show it again. You know, it wasn’t a fluke. It’s who I am, it’s who I’ve been on all levels of football. So, it’s great to be out there again and have another chance at it.”

Cox was one of the better players on the field throughout the offseason practices. Van Ness, in particular, was tremendous, and Cox wasn’t far off the pace in terms of getting in the face of the quarterbacks.

“Great,” he said of his offseason. “Getting to the quarterback almost every other play. So, no problem on that.”

The coaches took notice. In some of defensive coordinator Jonthan Gannon’s pass-rush packages, he was with the No. 1 unit.

“Yeah, I honestly feel I’m one of the best rushers here,” Cox said. “You know, that’s the chip on my shoulder that I come to work with every day. It’s just about putting it together on gameday.”

More than sacking the quarterback, former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley saluted Cox for his role in containing Bears quarterback Caleb Willliams in the regular-season loss at Chicago.

“Cox was very disruptive in the game, even on a couple of those boots,” Hafley said. “In the first game we played them, I don't think we did a very good job in the boot game. We did some different things to not let him out of the pocket.

“He was a big part of some of those, and even when he didn't get him down, now the quarterback’s kind of got to pull up, and he couldn't get to the perimeter. So, maybe he didn't make the play, but he did make the play, right? I think his strength, his physicality, the way he plays the game, his toughness, I think that helped us out a lot the run and the pass game.”

Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (57) tackles Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the completion of the offseason program, Cox was headed to Tampa, Fla., to work out at Yo Murphy Performance, the training facility headed by former NFL receiver Yo Murphy.

“Got everything that I need,” Cox said, “so I’ll be down there working, especially with my pass-rush specialist down there. I’ll be getting after it and getting ready for camp.”

After a successful offseason program, Cox was asked if he’d give himself a break.

“A break?” he asked, the tone in his voice suggesting the interviewer had just sprouted a third eyeball.

Yeah, a break to catch his breath before the first practice of training camp on July 29.

“No break,” he said. “I’ve got to work, man. I got to be the best. Like you said, Micah’s down. We need the guys to step up, and I plan on being one of those guys.”

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