TAMPA, Fla. -- Former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper didn’t think it would take this long for him to get picked up by an NFL team. He was cut in February 2016, and this weekend’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp is his first football action since.
“I was in Philly for six years. I got cut,” Cooper said. “I was expecting to get picked up somewhere and I didn’t. It was hard to keep training and stay ready without seeing that light at the end of the tunnel. I just kept grinding and grinding. The opportunity is finally here, and you’ve gotta make the best of it.”
Cooper is attending Bucs camp this weekend on a tryout basis. He is surrounded by players much younger, who have yet to take the field for an NFL game, let alone post 100 yards in a game.
Has this been a humbling experience for him?
“I don’t think it’s humbling,” said Cooper, 29. “It’s an honor. An NFL team is giving you a chance to make their roster. I don’t think it’s humbling at all.”
Cooper said he has not been given an indication of why the phone calls never came and whether it had anything to do with his 2013 incident at a Kenny Chesney concert. He was caught on video directing a racial slur at a black security guard. The video went viral.
“I’m extremely apologetic about that,” Cooper said. “I told everybody it was completely my fault. I’m so sorry about it. That’s not the type of person I am. People that know me know that. Some of the guys here know that.”
He added, “I don’t know if that’s the reason or not, but I’m going to make the best of this opportunity, keep moving forward and become a better human, a better person and a better football player.”
Cooper said the incident is not something he continues to worry about when meeting new people, including teammates. “It doesn’t come up,” Cooper said. “I just treat everybody with respect and just be me.”
He bought a house in Ocala, Florida, about 1 hour, 45 minutes north of Tampa and two hours from his hometown of Clearwater. He spent his time off fishing and working out. While it helped heal his body, he acknowledges that doubt began to set in.
“It was tough to keep training and staying ready,” Cooper said. "I thought the phone call would have came, but it didn’t. I’m cool with it. It worked out, and I have an opportunity.”
He got word of the workout on Sunday.
Head coach Dirk Koetter said the staff made the decision prior to the draft to go after Cooper. The Bucs like his size, his experience and the depth he brings at wide receiver. He played for Koetter’s close friend Andy Reid in Philadelphia. He also played with DeSean Jackson, with whom he maintains a relationship. And he’s a big fan of Jameis Winston, whom he played against when he was in Philly and watched when Winston was at Florida State.
"He’s a heck of a player," Cooper said. "He’s super-talented and smart. He makes good reads, and it would be fun -- it would be an honor to play with Jameis. He’s a heck of a quarterback, and I think he’ll be in Tampa a long time."