What the Recent Omar Cooper Jr. Worries Really Mean for His Rookie Season

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- It's always difficult to determine how good a rookie wide receiver will be in his first training camp. Ja'Marr Chase, for example, suffered through a series of concerning drops before ending up with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Had Cincinnati Bengals fans bought into the panic Chase's drops once gave, perhaps the LSU star would never have become one of the best receivers in football.

New York Jets first-round receiver Omar Cooper Jr. has not been bad through his introductory training camp to the NFL. He's caught everything that's been thrown to him, and he is clearly learning the playbook at a respectable rate.

But one quote from Jets wide receiver coach Shawn Jefferson turned the fanbase's patience into panic.

The quote that brought premature worry

“I got on him because last week he had some pitfalls, and that’s being a rookie; it’s camp days," Jefferson told The Athletic. "You’re not used to all the drag and the mundaneness of it. But that kid is going to be all right.”

It also didn't help that the Indiana prospect was seemingly jumped on the depth chart by Isaiah Williams last week. Cooper played deep into the team's preseason opener on Friday against Tampa Bay and netted two completions for 31 yards.

Since that game, though, things have seemingly slowed down for Cooper. And he's beginning to show why he was such a well-liked prospect during April's draft.

Cooper's already silencing the early doubt

Tuesday's practice showed a different Cooper than the Jets are used to seeing.

On several one-on-one matchups, Cooper used his route-running and sure hands to make easy catches and big plays. Outside of Adonai Mitchell, he was the most consistent receiver in the drill.

It was the kind of showing that proves the Jets should be able to rely on the rookie going forward. Even starting quarterback Geno Smith has noticed.

"I think Omar has done a great job as well. His role is to be the best player that he can be and I think he's working every single day to get better," Smith said. "He's already made a ton of great plays in my opinion and he's a young player who's going to continue to grow, as we all are, and so he's stepped in multiple roles and he's done a great job."

So what led to Cooper's drop in the depth chart?

Examining the depth chart fall

The reason is the same that other young receivers deal with: Developing at the NFL level is not always linear or fast. It's a process that takes time.

"From my knowledge, I think it's just picking up the offense, being able to see coverages and read defenses, and then obviously you're going to play a step up from what you played in college," Smith said. "There's some really good defensive backs in this league and some really good competition, and so I think from my perspective that's something that they all have to adapt to, but I haven't seen any issues with anyone."

Should Cooper not be one of the starting three receivers for the Jets to open the year, it won't be the end of the world. Plenty of excellent receivers across history didn't start in their first year with the team that drafted them. Lynn Swann and John Stallworth both didn't start until the midway point of the year for the 1974 Steelers. Jerry Rice started only four games during his rookie season with the 1985 49ers.

Will Cooper be these Hall of Fame legends? Most likely not. But the point those stars proved is that a career is not defined by its first season. And Cooper remains a key cog in what the Jets want to do going forward.

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