Pharoh Cooper earns NFC Special Teams Player of Week for Rams
By Dan Parzych
Thanks to an amazing opening kickoff against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pharoh Cooper of the Los Angeles Rams earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 6.
With a crowded group of receivers thanks to numerous key additions made in the offseason, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Los Angeles Rams entering 2017 was how Pharoh Cooper would be able to make an impact for this team. In 10 games as a rookie last season, Cooper only caught 14 passes for 106 yards, but when seeing what he was able to accomplish against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6, it’s clear how valuable the wideout is to special teams.
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Watching Cooper return the opening kickoff against the Jaguars 103 yards for a touchdown was the perfect way to start the game, and certainly gave the Rams some extra momentum in the first quarter. And thanks to this impressive return, Cooper was recently named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, according to the team site.
Even if Jacksonville caught a break on their first official play from the line of scrimmage when Leonard Fournette took the handoff 75 yards for a score, Los Angeles couldn’t have asked for a better start thanks to Cooper. Even recently, Sean McVay expressed interest in using Cooper more on special teams since Tavon Austin has proven he’s unable to handle the responsibilities of being a reliable returner.
Next: Bold predictions for Rams Week 7 meeting with Cardinals
Up next, Cooper looks to carry that success over into London with the Rams facing a tough challenge against a rejuvenated Arizona Cardinals team after the recent signing of Adrian Peterson. In other words, Los Angeles is going to need all of the extra help they can get from players like Cooper, and McVay certainly wouldn’t be mad if he happened to return another kickoff for a touchdown.