Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said rookie linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper was the team’s special teams player of the week after delivering a couple of tackles and a key block during the Packers’ 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Bisaccia sees Hopper — a third-round pick — as an ascending player for his special teams.
“Yeah, Hop’s really starting to show up, especially on the kickoff team,” Bisaccia said Thursday. “He’s made some plays now. He’s been taken care of a little bit because other guys have shown up earlier and started to get doubled and he’s been singled a little bit and made three really good plays last week. He was our player of the week last week. And he’s really playing well on punt return. He had a good block on Keisean’s punt return last week, which usually doesn’t get seen. He’s practicing really well. He’s playing really well for us in games. Hopefully just keeps improving.”
After not having a tackle or assisted tackle in his first three games on special teams, Hopper has two solo tackles and two assisted tackles over the last three games, including two solo stops and an assisted tackle covering kickoffs last week against the Cardinals.
On one kickoff, Hopper got off a block and made a crunching tackle. Later, he teamed up with Bo Melton to make a tackle well short of the 30-yard line.
On Nixon’s 39-yard punt return in the second quarter, Hopper’s block helped Nixon get outside containment and create a big play. The Packers scored on the next play, taking a 24-0 lead in the first half.
At Pro Football Focus, Hopper was the Packers’ highest graded special teams player for Week 6.
While buried on the depth chart behind Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson at linebacker, Hopper is finding ways to contribute in the third phase.
Hear more from Bisaccia below: