Jalen Hurts didn’t have to look far for the Eagles player who has caught his eye at training camp. After practice, when NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo and analyst Brian Baldinger spoke with the quarterback, Hurts pointed straight to Darius Cooper.
“I think Darius Cooper has done a really good job,” Hurts said. “He’s always been a big body, physical, strong hands guy, but just to see how he’s transitioned going into year two, I’m definitely excited for him.”
That kind of nod carries weight, especially with the way Philadelphia’s receivers have been getting talked about early in camp. The group drew plenty of criticism at first, but as practice has rolled on, the unit has started to look sharper and more in sync with Hurts.
Cooper is hardly an unknown inside the building. Last summer, the undrafted rookie from Tarleton State turned heads as one of the surprise stories of camp.
He carried that momentum into the preseason, where he caught a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals and played his way onto the 53-man roster. By the end of the regular season, he had nine receptions for 92 yards.
The buzz around him last year wasn’t just about games. Even after practice, when rookies and some veterans were working through development drills, Cooper kept staying on the field with Hurts and making catches. That was a clue then, and it looks even more like one now.
His path to the roster wasn’t only about offense, either. Cooper also drew notice for what he brought on special teams, which helped strengthen his case to stick.
This camp, though, comes with more pressure. The Eagles brought in more competition at wide receiver, adding Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Elijah Moore, and rookie Makai Lemon. That should have made things tougher for Cooper.
Instead, he has kept making plays. Through the first week of camp, he’s been showing up with eye-catching catches on a regular basis, the kind that make him stand out from the rest of the receiver group.
Hurts’ praise only adds to that momentum. When the quarterback singles a player out like that, it says plenty about how that player is performing and how he is being viewed inside the offense.
Now the roster decisions get even trickier for Nick Sirianni, Sean Mannion, and Howie Roseman. Cooper has made himself hard to ignore, and Eagles fans may be watching a player who has done enough to keep forcing his way into the conversation.
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