Packers Add Linebacker Depth by Signing Cooper’s College Teammate

With the Green Bay Packers wrestling with injuries at linebacker, the team signed Chris Russell, who tried out for the team at its rookie camp.

Bill Huber | Aug 13, 2024

Texas A&M linebacker Chris Russell Jr. has signed with the Green Bay Packers. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers fortified their injury-plagued linebacker corps by signing Chris Russell on Tuesday.

Russell went undrafted out of Texas A&M. He had tryouts with the Packers and Tennessee Titans at their postdraft rookie camps but was not signed. He worked out for the team again on Tuesday, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson.

In 2022, Russell had 66 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for losses, along with one pass defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. In 2023, he had 30 tackles, with two sacks and two tackles for losses. He had a pick-six against Arkansas and two passes defensed. His only start during his final season came in the Texas Bowl.

“I love to get to it,” he said before last season. “I don’t like talking about myself, but I love to play with that type of passion and bring all the energy and be on attack mode and go get it, really. That’s the mindset you’ve got to have. …

“Really, it’s all about pursuit and being relentless on the field.”

The Packers are dealing with a few injuries at linebacker. Their two Day 2 draft picks, Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper, have missed a big chunk of training camp. Cooper, who was a teammate of Russell at Texas A&M, has been out since suffering a hip injury before Family Night. Hopper had been out with an ankle injury but took part in individual drills on Tuesday.

Plus, starter Quay Walker has taken limited reps at practice for the past week and dropped out of Tuesday’s practice.

On Tuesday, the No. 1 trio in the base 4-3 defense consisted of Eric Wilson, Isaiah McDuffie and undrafted rookie Ralen Goforth.

Russell will bring excellent athleticism to the competition. He measured 6-foot 1/2 and 235 pounds at the Aggies’ pro day but posted excellent numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.54 seconds), 20-yard shuttle (4.22 seconds), vertical jump (35.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 1 inch). His Relative Athletic Score was 8.58.

“He’s a hardworking guy. And all this stuff is going to pay off for him,” Cooper said after the Arkansas game. “Just seeing my guys around making plays, it’s a wonderful feeling for me. Touching my heart. And I love how we’re all together making plays. And everybody’s eating.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Russell for his career had a missed-tackle rate of 17.5 percent and gave up a completion rate of 77.8 percent but didn’t allow a touchdown pass.

Russell is arriving late in training camp and will be behind the 8-ball from a playbook perspective. At least he’s got a friendly face who can help him through things with Cooper.

“I know Edgerrin’s going to make a play every time if I’m not there,” Russell said in the preseason interview. “He’s a good guy. He comes to work. He actually came to work the most I’ve ever seen out of him. That’s a great feeling whenever you’re playing beside him. He’s becoming a natural leader, and his work is showing. I’m proud of him.”

More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News

Hard to believe we're down to two weeks of training camp and roster cuts are due in 15 days.

With that, here's my third #Packers roster projection of camp. ⬇️https://t.co/NBxYmLnETU
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 12, 2024

Published Aug 13, 2024|Modified Aug 13, 2024

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.