My take on Cooper is he’s a really good receiver- currently the most polished among the this talented position group. BUT- I don’t see Coop as being that important to the success of this team.
Cooper certainly helped us make the playoffs in 2018, but has not shown up big in the bigger games since then when we needed him most. He has an odd occasional disappearing act that makes his stats appear less impressive. You can’t have your highest paid receiver disappear in big games.
On the subject of disappearing…here’s some big games we needed a lot from Cooper and he didn’t deliver much the last two seasons.
- 2019- Week 12 @ NE- we were 6-4 and needed a big win. We lost 13-9, Cooper caught zero passes.
- 2019- Week 13- Thanksgiving game vs Bills. Lost 26-15 to fall to 6-6. Cooper caught 8-85, 0 TDs.
- 2019- Week 16 @ Filly. Huge game that determined NFCE champ. Lost 17-9. Cooper had 12 targets, catching 4 for 24 yds, no TDs.
- 2020- Week 17 @NYG. Playoff chance on the line. Cooper had 6 receptions for 41 yds, no TDs.
I’m not blaming Cooper for us not making the playoffs the last two years. But I am concerned how often he disappears in big games.
Again, I like Cooper. He’s an excellent receiver. But he’s not a difference maker when it comes to big games.