The Green Bay Packers will probably be without Micah Parsons for the first month of the season, and potentially longer, so who the defense slots in behind him is of the utmost importance to the team keeping its collective head above water through October.
Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated on Sunday, June 28 contended that while Lukas Van Ness is the obvious candidate to take the reins off the edge in Parsons’ absence, Brenton Cox Jr. may prove the most important ingredient to the pass-rush mix.
“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,” Huber wrote.
Brenton Cox Jr. Could Start in Place of Micah Parsons if Packers Don’t Add Another Edge-Rusher
GettyPass-rusher Brenton Cox Jr. of the Green Bay Packers.
Cox, now 26 years old, joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Florida.
Over the three years since, he has appeared in 15 games and earned one start. Cox has played a total of 316 snaps in the NFL, including 243 on defense and 73 on special teams.
All told, Cox has tallied 17 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles — numbers that indicate a relatively efficient player considering his total amount of playing time.
Green Bay inked Cox to a one-year contract worth $1.7 million to bring him back for the 2026 campaign. Cox and fourth-round rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton out of Penn State are both viable rotation players off the edge while Parsons is out.
However, if the Packers don’t add more talent at the position via free agency or a trade before the season begins, one of the two has a good chance to start alongside Van Ness Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, September 13.
“A lot of the guys have had to pick up the slack since Micah has been out,” Cox said. “I definitely think I’m talented enough to pick up the slack and get to the quarterback.”
Micah Parsons Believes Lukas Van Ness Poised for Breakout Season
GettyGreen Bay Packers edge-rusher Lukas Van Ness.
As far as Parsons is concerned, Van Ness is ready to step into a leadership role after three somewhat disappointing campaigns following the team’s decision to make him a first-round draft pick in 2023.
“I think Luke is someone that people sleep on the most, and I don’t know why,” Parsons said earlier in the offseason. “I think by the end of this season, if Luke stays healthy, I think he’ll probably be the favorite. That’s how much confidence I have in him.”
Huber dubbed Van Ness arguably the MVP of OTAs leading into training camp in July, as the outside linebacker stood out across the team’s offseason work.
“My goal for this year is getting back to really having fun with football and just enjoying it,” Van Ness said in mid-June. “This OTAs has been great. I think with this new [Jonathan Gannon] defense, there’s a lot of versatility allowing us to play free without thinking, and I’m just having a lot of fun.”
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