Why Riley Cooper is still a Philadelphia Eagle

Unless your familiar with Chip Kelly’s offensive-scheme, your probably one of the millions wondering one thing…WHY IS RILEY COOPER STILL A PHILADELPHIA EAGLE! Cooper entered the national spotlight after a video of him in an inebriated state shouting a racial slur surfaced. The video lead to freshman head coach Chip Kelly having to decide what to do with the former Florida receiver. After some persuasion from veterans Michael Vick and Jason Avant, Kelly decided to give Cooper a second chance, provided Cooper completing a sensitivity course.

Since the video came out prior to the 2013 season, Cooper has 102 catches, 1,412 yards and 11 touchdowns. While he hasn’t blown away his detractors, his production has been about where a teams third or fourth receiver should be. Now reunited with his former college roommate, Tim Tebow, Cooper enters camp slated to play behind rookie Nelson Agholor; two sophomore receivers in Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff; and veteran Miles Austin.

In an offseason where the Eagles made some major franchise changing moves, many are asking why the former 5th round pick is still on the roster, given his lack of scoring production and the aforementioned video. Some former players and members of the national media have drawn the race card, citing the sudden trade of LeSean McCoy and release of Desean Jackson last season.

To the naked eye, a case may be made for the race card coming into play. To the person who looks at the Eagles roster, they see a much different story. All but one of the Eagles draft picks were African-American; the only exception was seventh round pick Brian Mihalik. The replacements to LeSean McCoy? DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews. Did Chip Kelly let Jeremy Maclin walk? No, Maclin’s former coach overpaid for him and Chip needed the cap when he was trying to sign Devin McCourty. Maclins replacement? First round pick Nelson Agholor. In Free Agency, he signed Byron Maxwell, Walter Thurmond, and Brandon Graham. This jump to conclusion that Chip Kelly makes decisions based on race is done and over with.

Eagles

Now back to Cooper. Heading into 2015, Riley Cooper has a top ten contract with the Eagles, where he is due to make $4.8 million. If he is cut before June 1st, it creates $6.2 million in dead cap. Chip Kelly enjoys having as much flexibility as he can, so cutting a guy who is signed through 2018 with an increasing cap number makes no sense. If he is a training camp casualty, it will create $3.6 million in dead money. This deal was not orchestrated by GM Chip Kelly, but rather his predecessor Howie Roseman, who for the most part did a good job managing contracts and is still with the team on the business side of the building. Prior to the 2016 season, Cooper’s dead money will reduce to $2.4 million, followed by $1.6 million in the second to last year of his deal.

Other than the money, which is a major component of Riley Cooper’s continued tenure, Cooper is a better scheme fit than people realize. Chip Kelly brings in guys with multiple tools to make up the most of his game day roster. In an offense with a lot of screens and run options, big blockers are a must for the offense to succeed. While Cooper won’t light up the stopwatches, he can handle the 5’10 cornerbacks on bubble screens or downfield blocks on a QB option.

Riley Cooper is on the Eagles for two reasons: Money and Skill Set. It has nothing to do with a drunken tirade at a concert or Chip Kelly’s personal views. Everyone on the Eagles has a specific job and Cooper has the most underappreciated one of them all. While I am not the biggest Riley Cooper fan (and I am sure there are not many), his cap situation and ability to block in three receiver sets is too vital for the team to loose. Hopefully he can become a strong voice both on and of the field for the right reasons.

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