When Chris Cooley returned to the Redskins after Fred Davis’ season-ending Achilles injury, there was some expectation that he’d resume the role of the team’s primary tight end that he played for many years before injuries and a high salary contributed to his departure this summer.
Things haven’t played out that way. Logan Paulsen has been the big contributor at the position, playing all but five snaps in the two weeks since Davis went on injured reserve. Cooley, on the other hand, has played just 29 snaps over his first two weeks back with the team. That’s not a problem for Cooley, even if he wasn’t able to get a case of beer negotiated into the contract as he hoped.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m happy to be a part of whatever I can do,” Cooley said, via Mike Jones of the Washington Post. “Hopefully, for me, it grows throughout the season. But it’s a good bunch of guys to be around and a good locker room, and I’m happy to do whatever I can, and if that’s just being here and helping with the little details, then I’m happy to do that.”
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said that game matchups would determine whether or not Cooley saw a spike in playing time down the road. While that’s obviously a possibility, it would be a bit surprising to see the team take a turn toward Cooley now that they have already opened up the discussion about looking toward the future. Cooley wasn’t even supposed to be part of the present, so he isn’t part of that future and will probably remain lightly used unless injuries open up a bigger role for him over the final seven games.