GREEN BAY, Wis. – On August 24, Brenton Cox played 17 snaps in the Green Bay Packers’ final preseason game. A few days later, he landed his spot on the 53-man roster.

He has not been seen since.

By the fans, anyway.

Although Cox has been inactive when healthy for all nine games this season, he has been seen in practice by defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.

“I think there’s a series of two practices where Cox, I just thought he looked ready to go,” Hafley said Thursday, a few days before the Packers’ game against the Chicago Bears.

“(It’s) really cool to see when guys earn their opportunity, and I think he’s a really good example of that. And I’m really, really excited for him with (Arron) Mosby.

The development of Cox and Mosby ultimately led to the Preston Smith trade last week. Mosby has played seven defensive snaps this season, seven more than Cox, who is scheduled to play his first game in about three months on Sunday.

“Yes, I counted,” Cox said. “It’s been a while. I’m ready to take the opportunity to go out there and prove what I’m worth.

After trading Smith, general manager Brian Gutekunst explained it by saying, “There are players we want to see. »

It’s a clear vote of confidence for Cox.

“It’s bigger than us,” Cox said. “I don’t know what happened, but I just know that I come to work every day for moments like this and every time they decide to do what they need to do on the card depth. I’m always ready.

Players don’t need to prepare if they stay ready. This is what Cox did while working in anonymity without the chance to show what he could do in games.

Was it difficult to maintain this motivation?

“No, because I love what I do and I love doing it,” Cox said. “Every opportunity when I’m on the field is an opportunity for me to improve and show what I can do.

“I go in there with that confidence, whether it’s on the scout team or when I get reps with the defense, I’m just looking to win every rep. That’s how I never get tired of it. That’s how I stay fun and keep myself motivated by just trying to win.

Cox and Mosby joined the Packers in 2023, with Cox as an undrafted free agent and Mosby on waivers from Carolina.

Cox was on the 53-man roster last year, but only played in four games – and only once during the second half of the season. Mosby spent the entire season on the practice squad.

This year, they were both on the 53-man roster. Mosby was inactive during Week 1, but has been a staple on special teams over the past eight games.

“Speed, athleticism,” Hafley said of the young defensive ends. “I think they are two very good young players who have come to training. When you’re done with your looks and you look at our show team offense (scout team defense) and you focus on certain guys and they start jumping every day.

“And if our offense is having trouble blocking certain guys or you have a guy who is suddenly making a ton of plays with the ball, you really start to look at him and watch him, and I think those two guys really started jumping.”

Mosby played his first two defensive snaps against Jacksonville before getting half a sack in five snaps against Detroit.

“Mosby, obviously, got some playing time against Detroit, so we were trying to get him going and now he’ll have a bigger role,” Hafley said. “For a guy like Cox to have his time now and do it the right way in practice, not say anything and just keep working, I’m really excited for him. So we’ll see what he can do.

Cox showed what he could do in the preseason when he had one sack and nine total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied when asked if he was a better player now. “Every day. I feel like I’m better today than I was yesterday. It’s just me. I try to improve everything I do every day.

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