GREEN BAY – When the Packers took the field to square off with the Chicago Bears last Sunday, it had been 360 days since the last time Brenton Cox Jr. played in a regular-season game.
That's effectively a full year of studying playbooks, honing technique, watching film, and practicing the gameplan in hope of a securing a place on Green Bay's gameday roster.
After 17 straight games, including playoffs, of either not playing or being a healthy scratch, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end saw his patience pay off as one of 48 active players for the Packers' pivotal NFC North showdown with their oldest rival.
With his mom, Latarsha, in attendance at Soldier Field, Cox quickly went to work in securing a 3-yard tackle for a loss of running back D'Andre Swift on his third defensive rep, followed by his first career sack on the second play of the second quarter.
"That was the best feeling I've had in a while," Cox said. "Just getting one in the books. It being my first game and getting my first sack in front of my mom, that meant a lot to me."
Cox was seen as a prized college free agent when he signed with Green Bay following the 2023 NFL Draft. The former five-star recruit wound up being one of four undrafted rookies to make the 53-man roster last year, though Cox's in-game reps were limited.
Playing one of the deepest positions on the team, Cox saw just 13 total snaps (four defense, nine special teams) in four games in 2023.
Following a switch to a 4-3 front under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Cox showed further signs of progress this past summer and made the initial 53 for the second straight year after registering five tackles and a sack in preseason play.
A logjam at edge rusher left Cox as a healthy scratch through Green Bay's first nine games, but he kept making plays during the practice week. Following Preston Smith's trade to Pittsburgh two weeks ago, the Packers gave Cox the first crack at filling the vacancy against the Bears.
The response? Three tackles, two quarterback hits, two TFLs and a sack for a 10-yard loss of Caleb Williams on 22 snaps.
"I was proud of him," Hafley said. "For a first game going in there, I think he did a really good job, and that's what I expected. That's what he's looked like in practice and hopefully he'll just keep getting better the more he gets in those situations."
While rushing the quarterback is Cox's passion, the 24-year-old knew his ticket to gameday was improving his work on special teams. This offseason, he worked hard to refine his technique on punt sets while learning the ins and outs of "We-fense."
Cox got his chance to put that work to use while serving on the Packers' punt return unit in Chicago. Two plays after his sack, Cox won his rep off the line of scrimmage against Bears linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga.
A frustrated Ogbongbemiga smacked his helmet into Cox's after the return was over and received a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. Cox refused to retaliate, allowing Green Bay to move from its own 9-yard line to the 24.
"That was a big, poised play by him," special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said. "He's certainly matured over the year and a half that he's been here, and I think he's been practicing his butt off for the opportunity that he got in the game. When he got in that critical situation, he did a heck of a job of getting back in front of that guy, getting great body position."
The Packers rank 15th in the NFL in sacks per pass attempt (7.99%) but have been looking for more consistency while getting after the quarterback. After a promising debut, Cox hopes he can provide a lift during the latter portion of the year.
His early success certainly has been a hit in the locker room. With a slight smile, Cox admitted his fellow defensive linemen have been talking about his sack all week.
Meanwhile, Cox has turned his attention to Sunday's matchup with a dangerous San Francisco 49ers team that boasts one of the NFL's most explosive and diverse offenses.
Admittedly, it was a long wait for Cox to get to this point. But now that he's back on the gameday roster, the second-year defensive end has no plans of letting it go.
"I would say the biggest takeaway was being ready for your opportunity," said Cox when asked what he's learned from the past 1½ years. "This isn't my first opportunity. I had a few shots last year. I just didn't take full advantage of them. Now that I got my opportunity this year, I want to make the most of it."
