There’s no way you can convince me (that with a 213% increase in Year over Year defensive snaps) that he should get less raw, numeric opportunities to be used in Run Support or Pass Rush. So in a funnel, you are correct a ILB is probably used slightly more in the Pass Coverage area, because the bulk of teams Pass more than they do Run. Yet here he clearly was being used in an “assist” capacity over being a primary fixture in the “Solo” spotlight.
This seems like semantics. ILBs are inherently "support" players in the run game. They fluctuate based on the DT talent in front of them. Some of it could have been a sophomore slump from him. In run defense, ILB is a scrape and chase position away from him and he can only shoot gaps sparingly and when they are towards him. If the DTs are trash, and sadly, after Wyatt got hurt, ours were, the ILBs are going to look bad.
We never want to hold players back from their known strengths and that’s really one of the primary goals of a DC is to use players to their strengths. Great Coordinating involves finding the best suited role for each player and adjusting schematics to be inclusive. Yet we 213% surely did hold him back because the bulk of production is measurable.
Sure, but you have to balance that with being schematically sound. That means in coverage against the pass most of the time. And interestingly, if he's doing his job, he won't be thrown at as much.
Edgerrin Cooper is best used as a Lead Actor and if you go watch 2024 film or his time at A&M he’s was on full display in a lead role. If you take that away from him you take away his best trait.
Difference in the college game vs. the pro game. Linebackers that aren't prime Ray Lewis or Luke Kuchely (sp?) just aren't the players you design defenses around.
Against the pass, he needs to play coverage most of the time. He had 66 pass rush attempts in 2025 (according to PFF, no grades, just counting) for 32nd in the league for off-the-ball-backers.. Quay is 19th with 77. That's 3.8 vs. 4.5 attemps per game. That's about right and not a significant difference between the two of them. In other words, he did perfectly fine as a pass defender in 2025. What change would you really like to see here?
Momentum Disruptor. In 13 games in Texas he had
83 Tackled
8 Sacks
17 TFL
2 forced fumbles
2 FR
1 scoop and Score
I don't put a ton of stock into counting stats. Partially because it means "yup, you played some snaps" and partially if the other guys are running away from him, he's doing his job while getting 0's in the stat sheet.
Similarly, the pash rush stats for backers is out of whack due to sample size. Cooper was 32nd in rushes, but 40th in stacks (1). Boo, bad rate.. Quay was 19th in rushes (77) and 18th in sacks (3). Yay, good rate. Realistically, I see that as noise as rate them roughly equivalent in production.
He did force 2 fumbles in 2025.
TFLs are up to the player. They have to both have the opportunity and the instinct to pick the right gap. If the DT messes up and a guard gets a clean shot at him, he's not getting the RB behind the line. If the play is a toss away from him, he probably isn't getting the RB behind the line. If he's a split second slow on diagnosing, he probably isn't getting the RB behind the line.
The scheme isn't "Okay Edgerrin, I need to let the running back pick up a yard before you schmuck him." It's up to the player to take advantage of what is in front of them. I also wouldn't necessarily expect a change in 2026. If Gannon really is a a quarters guy, we're going to see comparatively lighter boxes, putting both Quay (assuming we re-sign him) and Cooper to be more in a chase and tackle role more often.
