Eagles Playmaking UDFA ‘Has Done Enough’ to Make 53-Man Roster

Every preseason, there’s at least one player who comes out of nowhere to make fans,
analysts and coaches alike take notice.

For the Philadelphia Eagles — at least so far — that player has been Darius Cooper. The undrafted rookie wideout out of Tarleton State didn’t have the national spotlight during his college years, but he’s now forcing his way into the conversation.

Cooper wasted no time making an impression in the Eagles’ preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the starters on the sideline, he stepped into the spotlight and led the team with six receptions for 82 yards and a 20-yard touchdown. He caught six of his seven targets and showed excellent chemistry with quarterback Tanner McKee.

“Cooper has done enough so far to justify keeping six wide receivers,” the Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski wrote in his August 8 roster projection.

A Look Back at Cooper’s College Career

Cooper’s path to the NFL began at Tarleton State, where he gradually developed into one of the most prolific receivers in program history. His first two seasons (2020–2021) were quiet. He amassed just six total catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

In 2022, Cooper exploded onto the scene with 54 receptions for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns, earning first-team All-WAC honors and establishing himself as one of the top big-play threats in the conference.

The momentum carried into 2023, even as injuries sidelined him for four games. In limited action, he still managed 28 catches for 622 yards and five touchdowns, good enough for second-team All-UAC honors.

Then came his senior season in 2024—arguably the most dominant in Tarleton history. Cooper finished with 76 receptions for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns, ranking second in all of Division I in receiving yards and leading the nation with 19.1 yards per catch among players with 50-plus receptions.

What Nick Sirianni Said About Cooper

The rookie WR has done enough impress Philly’s coaching staff.

“I think he has a lot of good tools, catches the ball obviously really well,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said about Cooper.

“Those are some tough catches that he made today, particularly on some of those shallows. That fourth-down shallow was like a perfect ball by Tanner with some traffic. I think they were in two-man and he just made a really nice catch there. He’s continuing to get better, learning all the different spots that he needs to play. I think he’s got an opportunity to do some good things. Obviously, you saw that out there today.”

Darius Cooper Could Earn a Roster Spot on Talented Philadelphia Eagles Squad

What stood out against the Bengals was how Cooper handled himself. He converted third downs, stretched the field with chunk plays and found the end zone—all in his first taste of NFL action. It was exactly the type of debut a fringe roster hopeful needs to stay in the mix.

The case for Cooper sticking around starts with production. At 5-foot-11 and around 210 pounds, he’s not a size-matchup nightmare, but his quickness, physicality and ability to win in multiple ways make him versatile enough to play inside or outside.

Opportunity is also on his side. The Eagles’ top trio of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson is set, but the rest of the depth chart is open to competition. Cooper is battling names like Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith and Elijah Cooks for the last one or two spots.

If he continues to stack productive days in practice and make plays in the remaining preseason games, he could go from an undrafted long shot to one of the feel-good stories of the summer.