PHILADELPHIA — Darius Cooper introduced himself to Eagles fans everywhere on Thursday night.
But just so there was no confusion, the undrafted rookie wide receiver who starred in Philadelphia’s preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals literally introduced himself to reporters at his Lincoln Financial Field locker.
“Darius Cooper. Graduated from Tarleton State University. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a blessing to be here,” he said with a wide smile.
Cooper had every reason to be grinning from cheek to cheek. The Division I-AA standout, who wasn’t invited to the NFL combine and knew he wouldn’t get drafted, put on a show.
Cooper shined against the Bengals, continuing his head-turning play from training camp. The rookie had six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. He beat his man off the line of scrimmage and won a one-on-one matchup for the score. He accounted for four first downs. He showcased his speed, in and out of breaks and through the catch. He did it all.
On a night when backup Tanner McKee shined, Cooper was his favorite target.
“It was the best feeling in the world. I took it all in,” Cooper said. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to play this game, especially with this great organization.”
Cooper’s story is an easy one to get behind. The former high school quarterback transitioned to receiver when he arrived at Tarleton State, located in Stephenville, Texas, in 2020.
Cooper had six catches in his first two seasons — as many as he had against the Bengals. His next three seasons? Cooper combined for 158 catches, 3,135 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns.
Cooper “prayed on” the idea of transferring after his breakout 2022 season. But he decided to stay and was rewarded. Cooper led the FCS with 1,450 receiving yards last season. He hauled in 14 touchdowns and averaged 19.1 yards per catch. The only player with more receiving yards than him in all of Division I was Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (1,555).
Fannin was selected in the third round of the 2025 draft. Cooper didn’t hear his name called, nor did he expect to. He wasn’t disappointed to be left out of the NFL combine, either.
“God has a plan for everyone. God has a purpose. My plan wasn’t to go in the draft,” Cooper said. “My focus was on training to have a good pro day. ... My name didn’t get called, but that was OK. The Eagles picked us up.”
Philadelphia announced Cooper’s signing as an undrafted free agent in May. He joined for rookie minicamp and continued with the team through OTAs and now the preseason.
Cooper wasn’t worried about his skills translating from the FCS to the NFL — about going from playing Utah Tech and West Georgia to competing with the Super Bowl champions. He believes “if you put the work in, it’s going to show.” And, well, it showed.
Cooper has made things interesting at wide receiver. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson are locked in. Otherwise, it’s an open competition for a few spots on the 53-man roster. And if his performances in training camp didn’t already earn him serious consideration, Cooper’s performance on Thursday night was difficult for Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman to ignore.
Of course, not everything has been smooth sailing. Cooper has had some growing pains, as all rookies do. He had his “welcome to the NFL” moment already.
Back in OTAs, Cooper was taking his first reps with Jalen Hurts and the first-team offense. I’ll let him tell the rest.
“(Hurts) was calling the play, and I was right next to him, and I’m looking at him,” Cooper recalled. “Like, I’m right next to Jalen Hurts right now. Like, this is crazy.
“He called the play, we broke the huddle, and I didn’t know what I was doing at all.”
Fortunately, Cooper caught the tail-end of Hurts’ call and ran the correct route. Hurts didn’t throw him the ball, but every little detail matters when you’re trying to make the team. Every snap, every catch, every route matters when you’re an undrafted rookie.
And on Thursday night, what mattered was everyone got to know Darius Cooper, the graduate from Tarleton State University who’s originally from St. Louis, Missouri.
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