Chris Cooley once said it would be terrible to play for another team just when the Washington Redskins were getting good again. He wanted to be a Redskins player for life. One of the mysteries of the offseason was whether he had a place on the team and on the salary cap.
Head coach Mike Shanahan informed Captain Chaos that Fred Davis would start at right end. Cooley wants to be a starter here, or somewhere. The Redskins are giving him a chance to find a spot somewhere. The Redskins owe him that, but it is hard to watch it unfold.
Cooley was the most popular Redskins player before Robert Griffin III’s arrival. He won favor by his on-field exploits and off-field personality. Cooley once got a Redskins cheerleader fired for dating him. Then, he married her. See what I mean? Cooooley.
Cooley among NFL players was an early adapter of social media with his The Cooley Zone blog that his brother, Tanner, managed for him. Much of that traffic has moved to social media sites like Twitter.
Cooley: “The Washington
#Redskins are releasing me today. This will be my last day as a Redskin.”— Redskins (@Redskins) August 28, 2012
Cooley: “I have every belief that I can still play football at a high level. I’ll take some time…not sure I could wear another jersey.”
— Redskins (@Redskins) August 28, 2012
Cooley’s Farewell: ‘It’s Been A Good Ride.’: On Tuesday afternoon, veteran tight end Chris Cooley addressed the … redsk.in/OnVLb6
— Redskins (@Redskins) August 28, 2012
Cooley was Washington’s second-leading pass receiver 2006-2008. That gave fans something to cheer about, even as it masked a deeper problem. Tight ends should not be among an NFL team’s top two receivers, unless they are on super teams with record-breaking quarterbacks (Looking at you New Orleans and New England).
The Redskins are deep at tight end. True to his pattern, Shanahan is going with youth. Joe Gibbs would have favored keeping a veteran like Cooley.
The Redskins gave London Fletcher the chance to sign with a new team before re-signing him to a market-adjusted contract. Why not the same for Cooley?
There is a 90-percent chance that Cooley will not re-sign with Washington. So, I’m saying there is a chance.
NFL.com – Six teams that could show interest in Chris Cooley
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