RapSheet: Cooper ‘week-to-week’

Pelissero also reported that Cooper will undergo an MRI to further assess the injury on Monday, confirming NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport’s report from earlier this evening. Cooper could be looking at a multi-week absence, but only time will tell. Hopefully, it is just a mild injury.

Cooper got hurt at the end of a 30-yard catch-and-run against the Titans, when another player rolled up on his right ankle. Cooper helped bring his offense to the Titans’ four-yard line. It was his only time touching the football. For now, we wait and see what the diagnosis is, but the fact that he needs more imaging is a little discouraging.

The maligned first-round rookie had a rugged, 30-yard catch-and-run to the Titans’ four-yard line on the Jets’ opening series, but got his right ankle rolled up on in the process. He required the assistance of a cart, but the Jets claimed he might still return. He was then ruled out at halftime. It’s a brutal blow for a first-rounder who supposedly had a rough summer. Despite the delayed ruleout, Cooper should definitely be considered on the wrong side of questionable for Week 2. If he is occupying one of your final bench spots, he will be a shaky hold during this week’s all-important waivers run.

Cooper “started to show some signs of life by the end” of training camp. The first-rounder will split time with Isaiah Williams in the slot and also operate “as a gadget player.” Keep him out of lineups early, but he is still on the dynasty radar and should be monitored on the waiver wire in shallow leagues.

Cooper played extensively in the Jets’ first preseason game, prompting The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt to write that WR Isaiah Williams appeared to have overtaken Cooper for the starting slot receiver job. This week, Cooper out-snapped WR Isaiah Williams six to one on the first drive. Williams continued playing on the second drive before rotating with Cooper on the third. PFF’s Nathan Jahnke notes that when Cooper returned, he lined up out wide while Williams manned the slot. Williams caught 3-of-5 targets for 17 yards and one fumble, though it was recovered by the Jets. It appears as though Cooper may have regained his spot as the Jets’ WR3 behind WR1 Garrett Wilson and WR2 Adonai Mitchell. Cooper still makes for a risky late-round dart throw, but he will get more chances to contribute.

We blurbed about Cooper playing deep into the preseason game on Friday — never a great sign — and this backs that up. Williams, an outstanding return man in his rookie season, enters the deep sleeper conversation at wideout.

Cooper entered the game on the Jets’ second drive, after the established starters called it a night. The usage meant Cooper played behind WR Isaiah Williams, who played 7-of-11 snaps on the first drive. Cooper continued playing through the Jets’ sixth drive. According to Rotoworld’s own Kyle Dvorchak, the last non-quarterback first-round rookie to play that late is former Titans WR Treylon Burks, back in his 2022 rookie season. This does not bode well for Cooper’s early-season usage.

The Jets traded up and used the No. 30 overall pick in this year’s draft to select Cooper, but the hype surrounding Adonai Mitchell as the team’s No. 2 receiver has been the biggest piece of offseason news in what is a completely revamped passing game. That said, Cimini praised Cooper for both his route running and physicality this spring while noting that the former Indiana product “should be even better when the pads go on in training camp.” Cooper excelled at generating yards after the catch last season with the Hoosiers, forcing 27 missed tackles on 69 receptions, good for an impressive 39.1 percent missed tackles forced rate. He played 77 percent of his snaps from the slot last season, and seems like the early favorite to lead the Jets in slot snaps this season with Garrett Wilson and Mitchell serving as the primary options on the outside.

Cooper Jr. (6’/199) redshirted as a freshman and filled a backup role as a sophomore. He made a name for himself in 2024 by leading the BIG 10 in yards per catch (21.2) while playing exclusively on the outside. He was a prototypical field-stretching WR2, running over 90 percent of his routes from out wide with an average target depth of 16 yards. Curt Cignetti then moved him into the slot for his senior season and everything clicked. Cooper racked up 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on 69 grabs. He also ran in a touchdown for the second year in a row. Cooper averaged over seven yards after the catch per reception in each of his two final seasons at Indiana. As a senior, he forced more missed tackles (27) on receptions than all but three FBS players. He isn’t quite as dynamic as Deebo Samuel. No one is. But he is the closest a first-round prospect has come to Samuel in a while. Cooper’s strong YAC numbers make him a great complement to Garrett Wilson, who is a phenomenal target-earner but has never added much after the catch.

Reid also reported last week that the Jets were “extremely high” on Cooper, who broke out last season at Indiana for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on 69 receptions. Cooper has put together a solid last two seasons at Indiana and has made a name for himself as a good slot receiver who can generate plenty of yards after the catch. He saw a career-high 83.3 percent of his snaps come from the slot last season. With Garrett Wilson cemented on the outside and Adonai Mitchell showing flashes in his eight games with Gang Green last season, the addition of Cooper could give the Jets three solid, young receivers for the upcoming season if they were to take him.