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Spotlight - TE Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins

Posted on 8/23, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Jason Wood's Thoughts

Chris Cooley is lost in a sea of tight ends. A few years ago, someone with Cooley's career numbers would've been considered one of a handful of elite options at the position. He would've been discussed as one of the few TEs worth taking early, and if you missed him, being better off waiting to grab a lower end TE late in your draft.

But the TE renaissance is afoot and it seems Cooley is now considered 'just another option.' A lot of people focused on his 1 TD catch last year, and the emergence of young options like John Carlson, Owen Daniels, Zach Miller and Greg Olsen as a reason to pass over Cooley for younger, greener pastures. Is that a fair characterization of this talented Redskin?

TEs, ranked by receiving yards (2004-2008)

Are you surprised to see that Cooley ranks behind only Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Antonio Gates in receiving yards? He's also 4th (behind the same trio) in receptions. But what really stands out is his 28 TD catches. He has four more TD grabs than Jason Witten, and one less than All World Tony Gonzalez. Only Dallas Clark ranks lower in catches and yards but has more TD grabs. In a hobby where people have short memories, it's important to remember that Chris Cooley DOES score touchdowns. Last year's 1 TD catch has weighed heavily on his fantasy outlook this year, and it absolutely shouldn't. That's a quirky statistical fluke that will normalize. Jason Witten had 1 TD catch in 2006, and had 7 the next year. Tony Gonzalez had 2 TDs in 2005, and then had 5, 5 and 10 in the last three years. I would be stunned if Chris Cooley finished a 16-game season with anything less than 4-5 scores, even with the potential for subpar quarterbacking.

Now about that quarterback situation. Can you blame Jason Campbell if, in a private moment, he throws darts at a picture of Jim Zorn? It seems Campbell is the QB of last resort in Washington, as offseason reports had the Redskins tied to Jay Cutler, Brett Favre and Matt Sanchez. But as the dust settled, Campbell is back in the saddle. For his many flaws, most notably the lack of big plays (only 35 TD passes in 36 games started), Campbell does protect the football and complete a high percentage of his passes. And he has looked Cooley's way plenty over the last three years. In 2006 and 2007 when Cooley finished TE5 and TE6, Jason Campbell was his primary passer.

Might the state of the offensive line be a stealth risk for Cooley? Chris Cooley makes his money as a pass catcher. But he's not a wide receiver in TE's clothing; he's a more than adequate blocker. With the Redskins offensive line looking problematic, is there a chance the Redskins will keep Cooley in to block for Campbell as well as open holes in the passing game? It's a risk, sure, but a quick look at the receiving corps alleviates the concern, in my opinion.

The receiving corps should be improved, but it's not good enough to limit Cooley's role. The Redskins appears to FINALLY be able to send Antwaan Randle El to a backup role where he belongs, as both Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly have practiced hard enough in camp to earn larger roles. But neither is a guarantee to be a difference maker which means the Skins have to keep Cooley involved in the majority of pass plays.

Positives

• Cooley is a natural receiver. While not an eye-popping athlete, he's strong, fluid in and out of his breaks, and has great hands. He ranks 4th among TEs in receptions, TDs and yards over the five years.
• A lot of fantasy owners are fixated on last year's 1 TD catch, and forgetting the 27 TD grabs in his other four seasons
• He's finished no worse than TE8 with Jason Campbell as his QB

Negatives

• If the Redskins line is a disaster, they may have to keep Cooley in to block more than fantasy owners want to see
• His yards per reception has declined each of the last two seasons
• The TE position is deeper than it's been in a long time

Final Thoughts

Chris Cooley is the forgotten man among TEs. Some owners are aggressively targeting Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark while others want to wait and grab one of the younger group consisting of Greg Olsen, Owen Daniels and Zach Miller. For my money, Cooley is great value in the 7th or 8th round. He's a guy that will catch 65+ passes, score 5+ TDs and give you Top 10 fantasy numbers at a minimum. I'm not going to say he's THE TE to focus on, but he deserves more attention than he's gotten.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

dgreen:
I expect Cooley to lead the team in receptions again this season. The question for the whole Redskins offense this year is how the 2nd year guys produce. Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis will all certainly receive more playing time. However, I think Thomas and Kelly are more likely to impact ARE's and Moss' numbers than Cooley's. And, I don't see Fred Davis exploding onto the scene and stealing many opportunities from Cooley. In fact, the Redskins have been working a lot with Davis on his blocking, so I think that's going to be his focus this year. I think he might end up pass blocking in 2 TE sets.

dafelonious1:
When considering Chris Cooley this year most people will look at his 1 TD last year as a mark of shame. 1 TD? How can someone with 80+ catches have only 1 TD? Lets take a closer look.

1.Washington was depending on 3 rookies (Thomas, Kelly, Jones) to improve their anemic passing attack. It typically takes a player 2-3 years to catch up to NFL receiver standards. Expecting one of these rookies to hit the ground running was hoping for the best. Their natural progression this year should help reduce the amount of attention Cooley garners from opposing defenses.

2.Not only were the Redskins depending on rookies; they were breaking in a new offensive system. Installing a new system takes time and has growing pains. The fact that Cooley had 83 catches in this new system bodes well for the possibility of getting better this year. He did catch an eye popping 74% of his targets last year which is testament to his effectiveness in this new system.

3.The receivers that were on the team last year didnt compliment each other well. Santana Moss is strictly a deep threat and Randel El is a 3rd down/slot receiver. Once the Redskins got inside the red zone defenses didnt have to worry about anyone not named Cooley. The natural progression of Thomas who is 6'2'' and Kelly who is 6'4'' should help Cooley get less attention inside the red zone.

4.The most compelling case for Cooley is that he is a Santana Moss injury away from getting the lion's share of the targets. Cooley has been targeted 94,110,111 over the last 3 years. If Moss were to go down he could approach the Witten/Gonzalez taget range of 130-140 targets which could push his receptions to 90-95.

Cooley should be heavily involved in the redskins offense once again. He had previously been a red zone force with seasons of 6,7,6,8 TDs. He is in his prime just turning 27. I see a season of 88 rec 950 yards and 7 TDs that can be had for a much cheaper price, ADP 78. That kind of value wins championships. Im targeting Cooley in all of my leagues and you should too.

rzrback77:
Chris Cooley looks like a nice guy to target as your starting TE in 09. He has finished 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th in the last four seasons. He has a current ADP of TE7 and 78 overall which slots in nicely with the above finishes. However, a review of his stats shows that in 08, his receptions jumped up by 17 over 07 to a career high of 83. I expect similar reception numbers in 09. The reason for his TE8 finish (the lowest since his rookie year) was that he only scored one TD, after averaging 7 per season for his career, including his rookie year. His TDs should bounce back and he could finish in the top five TEs in 09.

Chris Cooley Projections