Amari Cooper had a rough year in 2017 that included several horrible dropped passes, but the wide receiver’s new coach is still expecting big things from him.
While meeting with the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, Jon Gruden had high praised for Cooper and said he expects the former Alabama star to be “the headliner” in Oakland’s offense next season.
Jon Gruden on Raiders WR Amari Cooper: “He’ll be the focal point of our pass offense. I hope he’s listening here today. … He’s a gamer. … He’ll be the headliner in our offense.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 28, 2018
Cooper got off to a shockingly slow start last season, but he ended up catching six touchdown passes over his final eight games. While it didn’t help that he took a vicious hit late in the year that landed him in the concussion protocol and hobbled with an ankle injury, Cooper was able to show flashes of his 2016 form down the stretch. He finished with just 48 catches, which was way down from the 83 he hauled in the year before and 72 he caught during his rookie season.
Offense is Gruden’s specialty, so he’s going to find ways to get Cooper the ball. If Cooper can hang onto it, he should have plenty of opportunities with a healthy Derek Carr.
