How Darius Cooper impressed Eagles enough to make the roster

How Darius Cooper impressed Eagles enough to make the roster

There’s a lot of bad news to deliver on roster cut-down day, but sometimes there’s good news too.

Darius Cooper was the recipient of some on Tuesday.

After an impressive training camp and preseason, the undrafted rookie receiver from Tarleton State officially defied the odds and made the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster.

“Obviously, it starts now,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “We tell all these guys, there’s no scholarships in the NFL, they got to keep earning it. But he’s done everything up to this point to earn the opportunity.”

There’s no doubt that Cooper (5-11, 210) did enough to earn a roster spot this summer. Not only did he make splash plays, but he was consistent, he got better, he showed commitment and plenty of promise. But you’re never really sure how these things are going to turn out.

In this case, not only did Cooper earn a roster spot, but he beat out 2024 fifth-round pick Ainias Smith to stick.

That’s a pretty incredible story for any undrafted rookie, but especially for one from an FCS school, a guy who wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine.

So how did the Eagles identify Cooper while he was playing for Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas?

“We give our area scouts a chance to put their names on free agents and go get those guys and our area guys did a great job,” Roseman explained. “(Southwest Area Scout) Cam (Bradfield) did an unbelievable job. I think (Director of Player Personnel) Phil (Bhaya) was a big part of that too.

“You just watch him, and you see obviously he’s not playing in the SEC, but you see that he’s got talent. When he came in here just seeing how big and strong he is, I mean, we sat with him today and he’s sitting there in shorts and a t-shirt and you’re looking at him and you’re going, ‘this guy has so much developmental qualities for us,’ and what a great kid.”

Cooper’s stats at Tarleton State were pretty incredible. In 2024, he played in 14 games and had 76 catches for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had another 1,000-yard season in 2022.

While some might question the level of competition in the United Athletic Conference — others will question if they have ever heard of the United Athletic Conference — Cooper showed he belonged in the NFL pretty early on. In the spring, Cooper made some splash plays and he kept it going in training camp.

And he never had a doubt that he was an NFL player.

“I always knew I belonged,” Cooper said after an impressive preseason debut against the Bengals, when he had 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.

With the Eagles, Cooper is obviously behind some really good players and will have to fight for any role he gets on offense. But he’s a 23-year-old rookie with plenty of potential.

It’s clear the Eagles are excited about the chance to develop him.

“As far as his potential, one thing I think about him is he has this ability,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Not everybody has an ability to win 1-on-1, and I think he’s shown that through camp that he has tools in his body to be able to win. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s quick. My take on receivers always is the best guys have good body quickness and good play strength, and he has those things.

“The other thing I think is he’s tough, right? Because we know we’re going to try to get the ball to A.J. (Brown), we’re going to try to get the ball to DeVonta (Smith), we’re going to try to get the ball to Dallas (Goedert), we’re going to try to get the ball to Saquon (Barkley) in the passing game. And so, some guys have to come up a different way. They have to come up with doing some of the dirty work.”

Cooper was already well on his way to winning a roster spot before Johnny Wilson went down with season-ending knee and ankle injuries. But without Wilson in 2025, Cooper should carve out a role as a blocker and a special teamer as a rookie.

And he has the potential to be even more.

“I’m looking forward to watching him continue to develop,” Sirianni said. “(receivers coach) Aaron (Moorehead) has done a really good job with him. Kevin (Patullo)’s done a really good job with him of helping him develop. I think he’s got some tools in his body to continue to develop. So, really excited.”