GREEN BAY – A season spent mainly on the shelf wasn’t the encore Brenton Cox Jr. had in mind after his breakout performance for the Packers during the second half of 2024.
But that was the reality the third-year defensive lineman was hit with after suffering a significant groin injury in the regular-season opener against Detroit that landed Cox on injured reserve for the next three months.
As disappointing a development as it was, Cox didn’t face that journey alone. While Cox worked with the training staff towards an in-season return, joining him was rookie defensive lineman Collin Oliver on the road to recovery.
A fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma State, Oliver was forced to start the year on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing surgery in March to repair a torn hamstring he suffered at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Keeping their heads up, Cox and Oliver shared a similar mindset throughout their respective rehabs.
“We always talked about it, how we can get out here and help?” Cox said. “That’s just the main thing with me and C.O., just coming back, being healthy, running to the ball, getting to the quarterback, doing what we got to do.”
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, Cox repaid Green Bay for its patience with seven quarterback hits and four sacks in the final seven games of last season. Injured on just his eighth snap in this year’s opener, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman worked tirelessly to make a comeback.
What neither he nor Oliver would’ve ever imagined was the underlying circumstances leading to their return to the 53-man roster, namely Pro Bowl pass rusher Micah Parsons tearing his ACL in Denver on Dec. 14.
The corresponding roster move was for Green Bay to activate Cox in Parsons’ place against Chicago while Oliver joined the active roster on Monday after tight end John FitzPatrick was shut down for the year with an Achillies injury.
Although Oliver has just a handful of NFL practices under his belt at this point, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound pass rusher has endeared himself to the locker room. Prior to Parsons’ knee injury, the two frequently played HORSE in the facility.
Several teammates, including rookie Warren Brinson, celebrated the attention Oliver was receiving while talking to Green Bay media on Tuesday, even calling Oliver “Baby Micah.”
“That’s my dawg. I’m glad that they see I’m a talented player,” said Oliver with a laugh. “Being compared to Micah, though, is crazy. I ain’t gonna lie.”
It’s been a while since Oliver has played in an actual game. He missed most of his senior year at Oklahoma State because of a Jones fracture in his foot that required surgery.
Then, Oliver says he basically tore his hamstring tendon off the bone in Indianapolis. He underwent surgery in March, believing he’d only be sidelined for 10-12 weeks, but then experienced a setback with it once he got to Green Bay and another before training camp.
With Oliver feeling healthy once again, the Packers finally opened his 21-day practice window to return from PUP on Dec. 1. While the Packers are keeping expectations modest for Oliver after missing so much time, Head Coach Matt LaFleur told reporters on Tuesday Oliver’s “early showings are promising.”
“I’m here to play football. Whatever they tell me to do, I’m gonna do it,” said Oliver, who had 23½ sacks in 43 games in college. “I’m feeling great right now. I’m just gonna take all this day-by-day. I’m working in practice, doing my best to show them what I got.”
Meanwhile, the Packers wasted no time working Cox back into the mix this past Saturday against the Bears. He generated three tackles on 18 snaps and was in Caleb Williams’ face on his game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation.
It’s a play Cox has replayed in mind following the 22-16 overtime loss to Chicago, pondering whether he should’ve lunged at the Bears quarterback instead of running at him.
“That particular play, I came flat free,” Cox said. “So, anytime that Coach (Jeff Hafley) can draw something up, where I’ll come free, I’m with it. I think that play right there, we needed a sack, like we really needed it, and I just hate I couldn’t get it there.”
It only serves as motivation for Cox to make the next play, which could come in a pivotal Saturday night showdown with the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field.
While two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson (back) was being estimated as a non-participant Tuesday, the Packers are ready for anything against a 7-8 Ravens team playing to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Conversely, a Green Bay roster ravaged by injury this season can clinch its third straight postseason berth with a victory – and Cox and Oliver are not taking that opportunity lightly.
Yes, the Packers have lost two of their defensive cornerstones over the past month in Parsons and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (ankle) but are otherwise as healthy as they’ve been all season on a D-line consisting of 13 players on the active 53.
If called upon down the stretch, Cox and Oliver will be ready.
“Wherever they put me at, I’m going to play my ass off,” Oliver said. “I don’t care what it is, I don’t care what I’m doing. I’m just trying to get out there, bro. Our defense has been amazing up to this point and we’re going to continue to be amazing. I’m going to be very excited, wherever they move me and whatever we’re doing.”