The Philadelphia Eagles enter this season not only as the defending Super Bowl champions, but also as arguably the most stacked team in all of football. However, even the best teams can be improved, including this juggernaut of a roster.
Even so, of all the players who could've bolstered this team, not many people thought they would roll with an undrafted free agent out of an FCS school. Enter Darius Cooper, the biggest feel-good story from training camp.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni spoke about Darius Cooper winning the last receiver spot as an undrafted rookie free agent
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 27, 2025
”As far as his potential, one thing I think about him is he has this ability. Not everybody has an ability to win one-on-one, and I think he's shown that…
Nick Sirianni Raves About WR Darius Cooper
”As far as his potential, one thing I think about him is he has this ability. Not everybody has an ability to win one-on-one, and I think he's shown that through camp that he has tools in his body to be able to win. He's big, he's strong, he's quick," Sirianni said, per NBC Sports' John Clark.
Sirianni also gushed about his determination to do the dirty work and all the little things that help a team win, even if they don't show in the stat sheet:
"The other thing I think is he's tough, right? They have to come up with doing some of the dirty work. I think that this guy is a really strong football player who can do some of the dirty work stuff for us as far as our blocking, as far as special teams, as far as good speed to be able to clear things out. And really when you have a guy like that, there's opportunities for him as well in the pass game that mesh off of some of those things. I'm looking forward to watching him continue to develop," the coach continued.
Cooper beat former second-round pick Terrance Marshall Jr., Ainias Smith, and even Elijah Cooks, who looked like a lock to make the roster after turning a lot of heads early in training camp.
He's the first undrafted rookie wide receiver to crack the final roster since Hank Baskett did so in 2006. Not too shabby for a Tarleton State player who went mostly unnoticed throughout the whole draft process.
Of course, the Eagles are more than set at wide receiver. They have an elite tandem in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, both of whom will be in line for a 1,000-yard season at the very least. Then, Dallas Goedert, Jahan Dotson, and recently-acquired John Metchie III will handle the bulk of the targets after them.
Even so, it's more than evident that he's made a strong impression with the team, and they will find ways to get him on the field at some point.
It's never about where you went to college or where you were taken in the draft. Hard work doesn't go unnoticed, and that's what this team embodies.