Chris Cooley

Chris Cooley

42-Year-Old Tight EndTE
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Chris Cooley in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed by the Redskins in October of 2012.
TEFree Agent
July 23, 2015
Cooley, who has indicated that he would like to make a comeback, has drawn interest from the Cardinals, ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Cooley, who last saw NFL action during the 2012 season, has reportedly been working out diligently since January and is said to be back at his playing weight of 250 pounds. If Cooley ends up inking a deal with Arizona, he would provide the Cards with veteran tight end depth, which the team has been seeking since John Carlson announced his retirement.
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
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2024 Chris Cooley Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Chris Cooley See More
Weekly Rankings: Week 11 Value Meter
November 13, 2012
A.J. Green should continue his reliable production this week against the Chiefs.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2012
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Cooley missed the final 11 games last season and eventually needed offseason surgery to repair a balky knee. He also had a plate inserted into an injured finger. In the meantime, he’s fallen behind Fred Davis on the depth chart and was used little in the passing game prior to his injury. Given Davis’ versatility it’s possible the Redskins go with a lot of two-tight-end sets with Davis lined up in the slot. Those types of formations will be necessary if Cooley is to make his way back to fantasy relevance. But Cooley likely won’t see anywhere near the 126 targets he saw two years ago, and he’s never been used much at the goal line anyway. Cooley’s healthy at press time, but it’s hard to see him having the value he once did.
Cooley relies on tight route running, good hands and tackle-breaking ability to help move the Redskins offense. Cooley was targeted a career-high 125 times last season (second among tight ends), which led to 849 receiving yards, tying his career high. His 77 receptions made PPR owners happy, though they came with only a 7.45 YPC mark. Despite the high number of targets, Cooley didn't get a lot of red-zone work, resulting in just three touchdowns. Four of his 11 red-zone targets, and four of five targets inside the 10, came in the last three weeks of the season when Donovan McNabb was sidelined, something that bodes well as McNabb is not back this season. Cooley underwent offseason knee surgery but is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp.
Cooley was on his way to another 100-target season last year until he suffered a broken ankle in Week 7. In Cooley’s absence, Fred Davis emerged as a skilled receiving tight end. As a result, Cooley likely will have to compete with Davis this season for targets. The arrival of coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb could make the Washington tight end a valuable commodity, but not in the fantasy world if Cooley and Davis have to share.
When not updating his blog last year, Cooley recorded career highs with 83 catches (2nd for tight ends) and 849 receiving yards (4th). However, because the Redskins offense struggled in the red zone, and opposing defenses focused on stopping Cooley, he had only 10 red-zone targets and one touchdown the entire year. On the positive side, Cooley led all tight ends who had at least 20 catches with a staggering 75.0 reception percentage. This was the result of his running short pass routes and dump-offs, acting as Jason Campbell’s safety valve. One of the slower but more difficult players to bring down, Cooley led tight ends with 475 receiving yards after the catch. Expect him to improve on the one touchdown in 2009 – he’ll almost certainly see more than 10 red-zone looks as he had 28 from 2006-07.
Cooley is another tight end who led his team in receptions in 2007, and that's not likely to change in 2008. The addition of two big receivers in the draft could potentially cut into Cooley's red-zone looks, but rookie receivers rarely make a big impact, so that’s but a minor concern. Cooley actually led all tight ends with 23 targets from inside the 10, which is a big part of why he was able to score eight touchdowns. Cooley's only 6- 3, and he lacks blazing speed, but he knows how to get open, and he's a favorite target of quarterback Jason Campbell.
Cooley’s steady improvement continued in 2006 when he was sixth among tight ends with 12.9 yards per catch and eighth with 45.9 yards per game. He was used a lot by Jason Campbell when the young quarterback took over for Mark Brunell in the second half of the season, averaging nearly two more targets a game during Campbell‘s seven-game stint than in the first nine with Brunell. Cooley has 19 touchdowns the last three years – third among tight ends in that time – and was eighth overall among tight ends with 95 targets.
With Cooley, the Redskins went from a team that rarely used its TEs to one of four NFL teams completing more than 100 passes to the position. He caught 34 more passes for 460 more yards in 2005 than in ’04, and was third among TEs with 15 targets in the red zone. The additions of wide receivers Brandon Lloyd and Antwaan Randle El could cut down on Cooley’s overall targets, but given their lack of size, Cooley’s red-zone targets should remain intact.
Cooley is listed as a tight end, though coach Joe Gibbs employs him more as an H-back. He caught 37 passes for 314 yards (19.6 yards per game), including six touchdowns and nine receptions inside the red zone. Gibbs brought in Santana Moss (18.6 yards per catch) to stretch defenses and help improve the league’s 31st-ranked scoring offense and 29th-ranked passing offense. As Gibbs looks to improve the passing game, Cooley should get more opportunities.
Cooley is one of the most difficult Redskins to project early in the summer. In a worst-case scenario, he could get buried on the H-back depth chart behind Mike Sellers and Brian Kozlowski, and on the tight end depth chart behind Walter Rasby and Fred Baxter. In a best-case scenario, Cooley -- who was a proficient pass-catcher in college -- would log most of the playing time at H-back, and would get split out in coach Joe Gibbs's schemes and see quite a few balls thrown his way. In deep leagues, he's definitely worth consideration as a late-round flier, but don't waste a high pick on him until his role on the team is determined later in training camp.
More Fantasy News
TEFree Agent
July 16, 2013
Cooley announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, Baltimore Sun writer Aaron Wilson reports.
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TEWashington Commanders
November 27, 2012
Cooley's role continues to diminish, the Washington Post reports. He was on the field for just three offensive snaps against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
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TEWashington Commanders
November 7, 2012
Cooley continues to have a small role in the Redskins offense, the Washington Post reports. He has one target and only 29 snaps in two games.
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TEWashington Commanders
October 29, 2012
Cooley was on the field for 15-to-20 plays and was only targeted once in Week 8 at Pittsburgh, the Washington Post reports.
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Chris Cooley: Re-Joins Redskins
TEWashington Commanders
October 22, 2012
The Redskins' addition of Cooley has been confirmed, ESPNRadio980 reports.
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