Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper takes pride in doing the dirty work. Will he be rewarded with a roster spot?
The wide receiver room is crowded after Howie Roseman brought in several outside reinforcements. Can an incumbent rise above the new blood?
All eyes are on the revamped receiving corps in the latest iteration of the Eagles offense.
Dontayvion Wicks. Makai Lemon. Hollywood Brown — Howie Roseman allocated significant resources, including a first-round pick, to the room this offseason in preparation for life after A.J. Brown.
When the NFL Network asked Jalen Hurts on Wednesday which receivers have emerged from the crop behind DeVonta Smith, the 28-year-old quarterback could have picked any of the Eagles’ notable offseason acquisitions.
Instead, he mentioned a 2025 undrafted free agent out of Tarleton State.
“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 2, I’m definitely excited for him, along with the rest of them.”
» READ MORE: More than a week into Eagles training camp, Jalen Hurts and the new-look offense are ‘calibrating’
Hurts’ selection of Cooper shouldn’t come as a surprise based on his body of work through six practices. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound receiver is in the early stages of reprising his 2025 training camp performance.
On the first practice of camp this year, Cooper had the play of the day when he made a diving catch down the middle of the field on a pass from Hurts, placed out of reach from Cooper DeJean in 7-on-7s. Four practices later, Cooper had a one-handed snag on a pass from Andy Dalton in the end zone, but he narrowly failed to drag both feet in bounds.
Cooper called the near-touchdown a “pretty good catch,” but he acknowledged that the catch alone is only one facet of what it takes to pull off a play.
“The catch is going to happen,” Cooper said. “But it’s what you do after that. Do you get your foot in? Do you get on your back? Do you do the fundamentals? That’s what I’m focused on.”
A fixation on the small details is what earned Cooper a role in his rookie season. In June, Nick Sirianni referred to the 24-year-old receiver as one of the “dirty work guys” of the Eagles offense who is capable of executing unglamorous tasks such as blocking on the perimeter, chipping inline, and running clear-out routes.
Cooper is proving in camp that he is capable of more, especially in the absence of Smith and Lemon, who have missed practice time this week with hamstring injuries. But Cooper said he still takes pride in that dirty-work role, and he also expressed an understanding that his coaches will require those responsibilities of him if he wants a spot on the team.
“Still got to do the dirty work,” Cooper said. “Got to block on the perimeter. Still got to have that mentality on special teams as well. I’m in the same mindset. Nothing is changing for me.”
» READ MORE: Eagles practice observations: Dontayvion Wicks likely WR2; Truth-telling Vic Fangio; Eli Stowers’ education
That mindset isn’t changing because the chip on Cooper’s shoulder hasn’t disappeared. He wasn’t highly recruited as a quarterback coming out of Hazelwood West High School just outside of his native St. Louis. He switched to receiver at Tarleton State, a FCS program in Stephenville, Texas, and became the school’s all-time receiving leader with 3,185 yards in five years.
Last year, Cooper became the 12th player from Tarleton State to make an NFL active roster, and the first since Colts and Texans outside linebacker E.J. Speed entered the league in 2019.
“That’s been my life for my whole football career,” Cooper said. “Coming from smaller schools, things of that nature, but still making a name for myself. But really just staying humble. Keeping my faith in everything and putting the work in and God’s going to handle the rest.”
Cooper has kept that faith in his ability to carve out a role with the Eagles, even when Roseman infused the receivers room with new talent this offseason.
“It’s part of the game,” Cooper said. “It’s part of the industry that we play in. You’ve got to know how to adjust. You meet so many people in the NFL. So I’m happy to meet these new guys, learn from them, pour into them as they pour into me. It’s a blessing to me.”
He and Hurts have also been investing in their connection. This offseason, Cooper was among the group of Eagles receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks who traveled to Orlando, Fla., for workouts and off-the-field bonding. Cooper called the quality time he spent with Hurts “very important,” especially the conversations they had away from football.
Cooper has an advantage on some of the newcomers to the room given that he began building chemistry with Hurts last year. But Cooper isn’t relying on his rookie season to prove he deserves a spot on the initial 53-man roster and a role in the offense once again.
“Last year’s in the past,” Cooper said. “So this is a new year. Be where my feet [are] and I have that same mentality, for sure.”
The Eagles are grinding their way through the second week of training camp. Some parts of the team have looked good, others remain very much a work in progress. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg assess quarterback Jalen Hurts’ play, how some of his targets are faring, and why, regardless of how the offense is coming together, the defense could be elite enough to help the Eagles contend for another title. Listen here.
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