The Green Bay Packers activated defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. off of injured reserve on Friday, making the edge rusher available for Saturday’s showdown with the Chicago Bears.
Cox will take the vacated roster spot of defensive end Micah Parsons, who was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday.
Cox played only eight snaps before suffering a groin injury in Week 1. He has been on injured reserve since Week 2, but his 21-day practice window opened on Dec. 2. With three weeks of practice under his belt, Cox is ready to hit the ground running for a team that needs help at defensive end.
Not only is Parsons out for the season, but Lukas Van Ness is still working his way back from a significant foot injury, and Kingsley Enagbare is questionable to play Saturday due to an illness.
Last season, Cox produced 4.0 sacks, 18 pressures, seven quarterback hits and one forced fumble over seven games and 160 snaps on defense. His pass rush win rate was 17.0 percent, per PFF. On true pass sets, his win rate increased to 23.1 percent. He ranked first on the team in both categories among edge rushers.
The Packers also ruled out rookie defensive end Collin Oliver, who remains on the physically unable to perform list. The team has until Monday to activate him or he will miss the rest of the 2025 season.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers activate DE Brenton Cox Jr. off injured reserve before facing Bears
