HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The lack of sleep and the early-morning flight from Dallas to Las Vegas followed by his first Raiders practice was taking its toll on Amari Cooper by the time late Tuesday afternoon rolled around.
But Cooper was also excited about the opportunity to prove he still is one of the NFL’s top wide receivers as he rejoined the organization that drafted him fourth in 2015 out of Alabama.
At the time, the Raiders were based in Oakland, and only left tackle Kolton Miller remains from the roster of the teams for which Cooper played 3 1/2 seasons.
“I always had (a return) in the back of my mind because I was drafted here,” Cooper said. “I felt like the expectations were high, and I felt like I did OK. But I always knew you draft a guy in the top five, you really expect them to come and change the organization. I felt like at times I showed flashes of doing that, but it wasn’t to my expectations. So this time around, I feel like I have unfinished business.”
Cooper, who according to multiple reports signed a one-year contract, played for the Raiders until being traded to Dallas in October 2018 for a first-round pick. He has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards seven times, most recently two years ago for Cleveland, when Cooper had 72 catches for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns.
He had 44 catches for 547 yards and four TDs last season for the Browns and the Buffalo Bills.
“Trust me, I still have some juice left,” Cooper said. “I felt like this was the opportunity for me to show it.”
Where he will fit in the Raiders’ lineup remains to be seen, but if the 31-year-old does indeed have some juice remaining, Cooper could be at least the second-best wide receiver on the team.
Jakobi Meyers, rookie Dont’e Thornton and Tre Tucker were listed as the starters on the most recent depth chart. Meyers has requested a trade after failing to reach an agreement on a contract extension as he heads into the final season of a three-year, $33 million deal. The Raiders, however, are under no obligation to grant his wish.
Considering Meyers broke 1,000 yards last season for the first time in his six-year NFL career, he and Cooper could give the Raiders a powerful 1-2 combination. That is if he’s the Amari Cooper of old, which he still has to prove.
Cooper said he will be good to go when the Raiders open their season on Sept. 7 at New England. He is learning to play with quarterback and fellow South Florida native Geno Smith and absorbing offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s playbook.
And he’s back with the Raiders, for whom Cooper had 225 receptions for 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns and made three Pro Bowls.
“It feels like a full-circle moment,” Cooper said. “I’m excited about the opportunity for sure. I’m ready to embrace it.”
Roster decisions
Backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell was not placed on injured reserve after breaking his right wrist in Saturday’s preseason game at Arizona. O’Connell is expected to miss six to eight weeks, and he could still be put on IR.
The Raiders waived rookie quarterback Cam Miller, who was drafted in the sixth round out of North Dakota State. Miller could be signed to the practice squad. He was one of two players cut from this year’s draft. Fellow sixth-rounder Tommy Mellott of Montana State was let go after struggling with the transition from quarterback to wide receiver.
Other notable cuts to get the roster down to 53 players included safety Terrell Edmunds, running back Sincere McCormick and cornerback Greedy Vance.
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