Eagles News: All aboard the Darius Cooper hype train

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Rookie receiver Darius Cooper introduces himself in the Eagles’ preseason opener – Inquirer
His shake and bake drew a reaction from Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on the sideline. Cooper said Brown was his favorite receiver, which might sound like a convenient thing to say about a superstar teammate. But there’s more to it. “I’m not as tall as him, but he’s a bigger type build, fast and physical,” Cooper said. “He uses his hands, and that’s what I kind of put on my game.” Cooper might not be a speedster. He ran only a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. But a lot of his receptions in college came when he beat secondaries over the top. He averaged 19.4 yards per catch over his career, and in his senior season caught 76 passes for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Roob’s Observations: McKee shines, corners struggle in Eagles’ preseason opener – NBCSP
Darius Cooper is another young receiver that helped himself big-time Thursday night. Cooper, an undrafted rookie from Tarleton State has flashed at camp and built on that in his first NFL game. He had six catches for 82 yards, including an athletic 20-yard touchdown just before halftime and a 4th-down conversion in the third quarter. Cooper is elbowing his way into that backup WR picture and a performance like this is massive for him. Tarleton State isn’t exactly a high-profile program. It’s an FCS school in Stephenville, Texas, about 100 miles southwest of Dallas. Cooper went undrafted despite huge production last year with 76 catches for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns. And despite playing on the FCS level in the United Athletic Conference, he’s shown a ton of confidence in practice and you don’t make the plays he made last night without feeling comfortable and confident on this level. Cooper has picked up the offense and made plays, and it’s been fun to watch. Ainias Smith also helped himself in that WR depth competition, catching a dart from McKee for a six-yard touchdown just before halftime and adding a 46-yard punt return. You have to feel a whole lot better about the Eagles’ wide receiver depth after this.

Bengals vs. Eagles Postgame Roundup: Who is Darius Cooper? – PE.com
Cooper said it was all part of God’s plan as the 5-foot-11 receiver went undrafted and eventually signed with the Eagles. In his first game action, he led the team with six catches for 82 yards and a 20-yard touchdown. “This is a great organization to be introduced to as a first time being in the league, because you work so hard at the details and the small things,” Cooper said. “When you put the work in at practice, you go out with your brothers, and everybody’s on the same page, and it just makes the game easier. So it was definitely a great experience to be out there playing with this team, just executing how we did today.” Coming from a smaller school, Thursday night was a cool opportunity for Cooper to play in front of a big crowd at an NFL stadium, and he didn’t disappoint. “Oh, man, it was the best feeling in the world,” Cooper said. “I just took it all in. Just thankful for the opportunity to play this game, especially with this great organization.”

Why Tanner McKee is invaluable to the Eagles – BGN
It’s great to make fun of the New Jersey NFL teams and say that McKee would be the best Giants or Jets quarterback in over a decade, but McKee, even with Jalen Hurts firmly entrenched as the franchise quarterback as the reigning Super Bowl MVP, absolutely has an integral place on this Eagles team.

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, the receiver? – ESPN
And Barkley has been quite active as a receiver in training camp, lining up all over the formation and challenging defenders in short and intermediate distances as well as deep down the field. Barkley has pulled in some difficult catches, including a one-hander in the flat, and has been predictably difficult to get a hold of once in space. He nearly secured a long touchdown pass from Hurts on a fly route, but rookie linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. knocked the ball loose at the last moment. “It’s something that I’m really comfortable with, something that I did especially early on in my career. And I’ve got to be able to adapt,” Barkley said. “It’s got to look different. What different looks like, I don’t know, but I’ve got to be effective in many ways and that’s in pass pro, that’s catching the ball, that’s running the ball, that’s leading. The only thing that matters is winning football games. ‘Whatever I can do to help,’ that’s my mindset.” Barkley had 91 catches for 721 yards in his rookie season in 2018, by far his career highs in both categories. Last season, he finished with 33 grabs for 278 yards and 2 scores, his fewest receptions other than 2020 when he played in just two games because of injury. There’s room for a bump in pass-game production, even with Brown, Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert needing their touches.

Bowen: Eagles’ Tanner McKee made history — you could look it up, and in fact, I did – PHLY
I just worked my way through a quarter-century of Eagles preseason passing stats, and I’m here to tell you that your eyes did not deceive. What Tanner McKee did Thursday night in the Eagles’ 34-27 preseason-opening victory over the Bengals was unprecedented, at least since 2000. Twenty-for-25, 252 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 135.3 passer rating? There’s been nothing like that, at least since 2000, which is as far back as I felt like looking.

Eagles WR Elijah Cooks to have MRI on shoulder injury – PFT
Wide receiver Elijah Cooks’s bid to make the Eagles hit a bump on Thursday night. Cooks had to leave the team’s preseason opener against the Bengals on a cart after being injured. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Cooks suffered a shoulder injury and that he is set to have an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of the injury.

Dan Quinn: We have high standards, and we missed them tonight – Hogs Haven
Dan Quinn spoke to the media after the Washington Commanders lost their preseason opener against the New England Patriots 48-18. The team didn’t play their starters while the Patriots did for several drives. Quinn said the team has standards and they were not met tonight. There was a lot of sloppy play with 13 penalties which is really bothered Washington’s 2nd-year head coach. All three phases of the game had breakdowns, starting with a 100-yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson.

Cowboys roster move: OL Rob Jones to season-ending IR, RB Malik Davis signs – Blogging The Boys
Injuries have ravaged the Dallas Cowboys throughout training camp and they are now up to two players who arrived with the team in Oxnard that will not take part in the season with the team. Last week saw Parris Campbell’s year come to an end for the Cowboys and on Friday news dropped that Rob Jones, who suffered a neck injury early on, is also done for the year. The team placed him on season-ending injured reserve. [BLG Note: Jones was projected to be the Cowboys’ top backup at right guard. He was working with the first-team offense early in camp.]

Which new NFL head coach will win most in 2025? Brian Schottenheimer, Ben Johnson top my rankings – NFL.com
1) DALLAS COWBOYS. I just spent some time at Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California, and there is a vibe around this team that is a direct reflection of its energetic new leader, who has emphasized connectivity between players and coaches since Day 1. Though the newfound chemistry must be complemented with a disciplined approach that features more accountability and attention to detail, Dallas’ talented roster could finally maximize its immense potential under the direction of a first-time head coach utilizing a blueprint that helped his dad (Marty Schottenheimer) win 200 regular-season games. As an offensive-minded coach with a seasoned franchise quarterback (Dak Prescott), a beefy O-line and a collection of playmakers in the passing game (CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Jake Ferguson), Schottenheimer has the firepower to go toe-to-toe with league heavyweights. If the Cowboys can mend their relationship with superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons, Dallas’ defense could produce enough splash plays (turnovers, sacks, tackles for loss) to tilt games in the Cowboys’ favor, ultimately spawning a return to the postseason for “America’s Team.”

Giants counting on PK Graham Gano to return to form – Big Blue View
One of the biggest questions for the New York Giants entering the 2025 season is whether or not they can truly rely on 38-year-old placekicker Graham Gano. Entering his 16th season, Gano has long been one of the league’s most reliable kickers with the range to excel from beyond 50 — and sometimes, 60 — yards. Gano has a Giants’ franchise record of 25 field goals of 50 or more yards, easily eclipsing Joe Danelo’s previous mark of nine. After two injury-plagued seasons, though, can the Giants count on Gano a) to be the sure-thing kicker who has made 87.2% of field goals in five seasons with New York, and b) to stay healthy for 17 games after kicking in just 18 games over the past two years?

Ranking every new alternate NFL uniform for 2025 – SB Nation
The NFL has been on a really good run when it comes to throwback and alternate uniforms. From the Jaguars bringing back the Prowler unis, to the Seahawks bringing their throwbacks back to the limelight and the Bucs returning to the creamsicles, alternate and throwbacks are absolutely cooking. 2025 is no exception to this, with new uniforms coming from the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints. But how do these uniforms stack against each other? Let’s rank them ahead of the 2025 season. This ranking is of full uniform sets, so we’re excluding the Bills’ red helmets and the Browns alternate helmets. Let’s get into it!

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