Kicked off two college teams, undrafted OLB makes NFL squad

Brenton Cox Jr.. Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kicked off two college teams, undrafted OLB Brenton Cox Jr. makes NFL squad

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 8/29/23

Everyone loves a good underdog story. The thing with the Green Bay Packers, though, is that they're rarely the underdog. Being one of the most consistent franchises in the NFL over the past 30 years will lead to good results more often than not.

With that said, it's not as if there aren't underdog stories happening in Green Bay this offseason. A case can be made that quarterback Jordan Love — tasked with replacing four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers — is an underdog considering the expectations. If not Love, rookie linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. would certainly fit the bill.

Cox, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound outside linebacker, was picked up by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in May. Any undrafted free agent is going to face an uphill battle trying to make the team in camp, but according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, that's a battle that Cox Jr. has won.

Undrafted rookie OLB Brenton Cox Jr. made the Packers’ initial 53, per source.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 29, 2023

For what it's worth, Cox will still have work to do to get playing time. The Packers are hoping they'll get a superstar season out of a healthy Rashan Gary at one outside linebacker spot. Across from him is veteran pass-rusher Preston Smith with 58 career sacks to his name. Green Bay also spent a premium pick on Iowa pass-rusher Lukas Van Ness, so even though he has a lot to learn, it's safe to assume he's going to get plenty of opportunities to get after the quarterback in 2023.

Still, what an opportunity this is for Cox, especially considering his story. He flashed great potential in college but was kicked off the team at both Georgia and Florida before trying his hand at the NFL.

He entered the league as the quintessential "high-risk, high-reward" player, and it seems as if the Packers are willing to find out what they truly have in him.

“Our philosophy is that I don’t really care what’s happened in the past,” head coach Matt LaFleur recently told reporters. “You come here [and] you have a clean slate, and you can write your own story."

Cox certainly wrote his own story during the preseason. He led the team in pressures with seven, notched one tackle for loss and batted down a pass that turned into an interception.

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