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Riley Cooper is back in the NFL. Well, sort of. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving him a tryout during their rookie minicamp this weekend.
The 29-year-old Cooper has been a free agent ever since the Eagles cut him in February 2016. He hasn’t drawn any public interest since then ... until now.
It’s unusual for a once-established NFL player to be taking part in a rookie minicamp like this. But with Cooper, it’s not exactly surprising. He really struggled once becoming a starter for the Eagles. And it’s not exactly like he was known for being the most well-liked locker room guy. His racial slur incident doesn’t help his case either.
We’ll see if the Buccaneers end up signing Cooper or not. Perhaps Tampa Bay is just doing Cooper — who went to high school and college in Florida — a favor to get his name out there again.
There’s something about the Bucs and former Eagles receivers. Tampa Bay signed DeSean Jackson in free agency this year and they also took a chance on Josh Huff after Philadelphia released him last season. The Bucs recently employed Russell Shepard for a few seasons. He’s since moved on to the Panthers.