It may be time for Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper to hit the pause button on 2017. In fact, it may be time for Cooper to forget about 2017 and start focusing on 2018.
After two terrific Pro Bowl seasons to start his NFL career, Cooper is having a disappointing season that seems to keep getting worse.
Cooper suffered an ankle injury in Week 12 – in the same game he had a concussion against the Broncos – missed some playing time and then was knocked out of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs early when he re-injured the ankle while blocking on a running play.
Now, with the Raiders at 6-7 with three games remaining and facing an uphill battle to get back atop the AFC West while trailing the 7-6 Chargers and Chiefs, Cooper will likely be unavailable for this Sunday’s game against the Cowboys at the Oakland Coliseum. The following week’s game against the Eagles and season finale vs. the Chargers could also be in jeopardy.
“He re-injured it,” head coach Jack Del Rio told the media, in regard to Cooper’s ankle. “Where that puts him now we will evaluate as we go through the week.”
Even when he was healthy earlier this season, however, Cooper hasn’t played like the Cooper of 2016 and 2015. He’s been targeted fewer times and been plagued by more drops. In 2016 he caught 83 passes for 1,153 yards. In 2015 he had 72 catches for 1,070 yards. This season he has 42 catches for 499 yards and his 48.8 percent catch rate is the lowest of his career, after posting a rate of 62.9 percent last season and 55.4 percent as a rookie.
The Raiders’ passing game as a whole this season hasn’t been as good as it was in 2016, and the production by Cooper has been a factor. But, the pass blocking also was shakier early in the season, quarterback Derek Carr hasn’t been as sharp and the offense as a whole has taken a step back in 2016.
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So, with two injuries to the same ankle, we may not see Cooper on the field again for a while. If the Raiders offense is to come alive over the last three games, other wide receivers are going to have to play a larger role.
Sunday’s game against the 7-6 Cowboys is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m.
