The NFL isn’t ready for Edgerrin Cooper’s second act. He wowed in his debut season and deservedly earned All-Rookie honors, but if the opening day of OTAs is anything to go by, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Cooper used his elite speed and athleticism to become a game-changer in the middle of the field last fall, and he spent the offseason adding strength. According to head coach Matt LaFleur, Cooper is up to 240 pounds, having played much of his rookie season at 229.

“He is so much more confident. Certainly, his body looks different. I don’t know if you guys could tell, but he’s like 240 pounds right now,” said LaFleur. “The added weight, and he still looks like he’s moving as good as he did a year ago. I’m really excited about him.”

“He looks as explosive as I’ve seen him. We’re really fired up about that,” LaFleur added. “There’s scans that we do for the body composition, and he’s in a lot better place than he was.”

The balance is adding enough weight to improve strength and help prevent injuries while not impacting his speed and athleticism. It sure sounds like Cooper has found the perfect balance.

Edgerrin Cooper can launch Packers’ defense into another stratosphere in 2025

LaFleur has good reason to be excited, and so do we.

Cooper came on strong in the second half of last season, registering two sacks, four quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss, one interception, and three pass defenses in his final seven games. He also became the first Packers rookie to record a sack and a pick in the same game since 1991, a decade before he was born.

That was Rookie Edgerrin Cooper. Think how much better he can become this season with the added experience and development, especially at 240.

By season’s end, Cooper had become arguably the Packers’ best defensive player. There’s no reason why that will change this fall.

Get ready for Year 2. It’s only OTAs, but Cooper is already turning heads.