Star Green Bay Packers LB and former Aggie player Edgerrin Cooper was confirmed today to have torn his Achilles tendon in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cooper's injury obviously knocks him out for the remainder of the season, and recovery will possibly carry over in to the next— this is one of the most devastating injuries an athlete can suffer.
Cooper has been one of the few bright spots on a very troubled Green Bay Packers team this season, as he has been since being drafted by the Pack a few years ago. He's become one of the best linebackers in the league, just like he was at Texas A&M, and will leave a huge hole in the middle of the Packers' defense.
This is looking more and more like it's going to be a lost season for the Packers, but the worry for Cooper beyond that is that this is an injury that many players come back from looking entirely different than they did previously. Advances in recovery science and modern sports medicine have helped allay this concern somewhat, but it always hangs over an Achilles injury whenever it occurs.
Edgerrin Cooper's Achilles tear hurts on two fronts for Texas A&M fans
Cooper relies heavily on his explosivity as a player, and his burst is matched by few in the league— this is what makes him such a good player, after all. He can read plays and fire off with the best of them, but if that is diminished permanently by this injury, it could impact his perceived value around the league.
That's one thing that weighs heavy on the mind of Aggies, who are all of course behind Cooper in his recovery process. The other is the fact that this seems to simply be a cursed year for Aggies in the NFL when it comes to injuries. Cooper is the latest in a long list of players from A&M who are now out for the season following an injury of some kind.
The first was Nic Scourton, who was injured on the very first day of fall camp for the Panthers, tearing his ACL. Shemar Stewart was not far behind, but his injury turned out to be far less serious than initially imagined, and he's been back in the lineup for the Bengals after that point.
Myles Garrett played in the first game for the Rams, but he's been out of commission for a while to start the year after briefly being placed on IR. De'Von Achane recently was lost for the year after an ACL injury. Chase Bisontis had his promising rookie campaign cut short after an MCL injury.
Micheal Clemons, Christian Kirk, and Shemar Turner have all also dealt with injuries to start the year and missed significant time. This is quite the laundry list of Aggie players that are unable to go for their various franchises this season, which is simply just the biggest bummer.
Top of mind, though, is Edge. Hopefully, he attacks his recovery with the same intensity he brings to the football field— and if he does that, he should be back and making big plays for the Pack as soon as next season.
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