NFC Notes: Edgerrin Cooper, Ozzy Trapilo, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Bears second-round OT Ozzy Trapilo is preparing at both right and left tackle and is ready to play either spot depending on where the team needs him.

“I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to play in the NFL, and I’ve had great coaches that told me I had to be versatile, so throughout my career I’ve tried to make sure that both sides are sharp,” Trapilo said, via Bears Wire. “Playing right tackle in college the last two years, obviously I’ve practiced more there as far as live reps, but after practice I got extra work in at left, just in case.”

Lions

The Lions double-dipped at guard in this past draft, creating a slight logjam at the position with second-rounder Tate Ratledge and fifth-rounder Miles Frazier joining incumbents Graham Glasgow, Christian Mahogany, and Kayode Awosika. Lions GM Brad Holmes notes the plan is for OL coach Hank Fraley to cross-train a few of those players so that Detroit has depth all across the line and not just a big batch of guard-only players.

“Hank, he’ll cross-train all those guys,” Holmes said via Tim Twentyman of the team website. “So, if they’ve only been at guard, he’s going to put a ball between their legs and see if they can snap. But again, Hank’s not going to put somebody in a tough position either, so he’s going to be able to assess if they have the right makeup and mentality and communicative skills. That’s a big part of just — it’s not about just being able to snap, I mean, you have to have elite communication skills, not just as a starter, but even as a backup.”

Ratledge has only played guard going back to his college career. Frazier has played everything but center, but both are game for whatever the Lions ask.

“I’m here to do whatever helps the team win,” Ratledge said. “I’m a team player through and through. They need me to kick out at tackle, I’ll go kick out at tackle. They need me to be an X receiver and run go balls, I can do that.”

“If anything happens, at any moment, I’m able to jump to left side, left guard, right guard, right tackle, left tackle. The only position I haven’t played is center, but I’m open to that too,” Frazier added. “But I would just say — and also, not a lot of people know, but I was the backup — I was the starting right guard, but the backup tackle on both sides, so my coaches put a lot of trust in me to have that versatility at the highest level, and I feel like I can definitely do it.”

Packers

Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper had a fantastic rookie season that earned him the 10th-best PFF grade among 189 linebackers. Green Bay DC Jeff Hafley touched on Cooper’s strength gain heading into year two, which should lead to more consistency on a down-to-down basis.

*“Consistency....