Paul Bretl | 8/6/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Two weeks into Packers’ training camp practices, it’s been very difficult not to notice the play of defensive end Brenton Cox during the team portions of practice, who is frequently finding his way into the backfield.
Now, don’t just take my word for it. Let head coach Matt LaFleur share what he’s seen from Cox.
“He’s another guy that I’m excited to watch when we get into the preseason,” LaFleur said prior to Wednesday’s practice. “Certainly, he’s had a lot of great plays throughout the course of camp. I think he’s progressed as a rusher, as you should expect.”
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Following the trade deadline last season, Cox went from barely seeing the field to becoming a regular member of the pass rush rotation after the team traded away Preston Smith.
While Smith had requested the trade a few weeks prior to it happening, the Packers were also ready to see more of Cox, given what he had shown on the practice field up to that point.
“I remember sitting here and we thought he deserved to play after he was really hard to block at practice,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said early on in training camp. “It’s just the way he is out there. He’s a physical, strong, tough guy who gives you everything that he has and he’s very disruptive.”
As that back half of the season progressed and Cox got more reps, not surprisingly, the production began to follow.
From Weeks 15-17–Cox missed Week 18 with an injury–he recorded 12 pressures and two sacks in those three games. For some context around those figures, Cox would rank tied for 10th in total pressures over that span among all defensive ends.
Cox led all defensive ends in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric and was first in win rate as well during that span.
“I would just say more reps,” Cox said of his production last season while seated at his locker following Wednesday’s practice. “I never had this many opportunities, so getting the reps. Seeing what I can do, I surprise myself sometimes. Going out there and playing hard and having fun.”
Cox and the defensive line as a whole are in a much different spot heading into the 2025 season than they were at this time last year. For one, Cox now has eight games of NFL experience under his belt compared to the five total snaps he had accumulated heading into the 2024 season.
But in addition to that, rather than Hafley’s defensive scheme being fully implemented, as was the case last offseason, Cox and his fellow defensive linemen have a full season plus an offseason of experience in that system.
“It’s always chemistry,” Cox said of defensive line play. “You need chemistry to rush on the D-line or else the quarterback will never be contained. So us having that second year and knowing what each other about to do. Just knowing who you rushing with, if I look to the left and to the right I’m comfortable with who is out there because I know them now. Just getting that chemistry together.”
A year ago, it was unknown exactly where Cox fit into the defensive end rotation. And I guess the answer was that he didn’t, with none of his defensive snaps coming before Week 11 and last year’s trade deadline.
However, during this training camp, we can see exactly where Cox stands. With Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness leading the way at defensive end, Cox, along with JJ Enagbare, have been rotated in as the second unit.
As Hafley mentioned, there’s a lot of power behind Cox’s pass rush, and you don’t just see it, but you hear it when his hands hit the offensive tackle’s pads. That strength is now being paired with a faster play-style with the added experience Cox has gained over the last year and his comfort in the now not-so-new defensive scheme.
When Cox has won his pass rush rep, he’s often done so very quickly.
“All pass rush,” Cox said of his offseason priorities. “Knock back, playing fast, running to the ball, but mainly pass rush. Just trying to get to the QB.”