The Las Vegas Raiders invested a lot of draft capital into the wide receiver position this offseason, but the results have been pretty mixed thus far. Fourth-rounder Dont'e Thornton Jr. has shown the most promise and will start in Week 1, but he was a bit inconsistent in the preseason.
Second-rounder Jack Bech has been a tad underwhelming as well, but the hope is that he'll blossom into a solid role as the season progresses. Sixth-rounder Tommy Mellott, however, was waived and not brought back on the practice squad, quickly ending his tenure with the Raiders.
These question marks forced Las Vegas to go out and sign veteran Amari Cooper, who retired on Thursday after just over a week with the team. It may be easy to villainize Cooper once again, but offensive coordinator Chip Kelly summed things up quite well.
Chip Kelly makes honorable comments about Amari Cooper after retirement
On Thursday, Kelly spoke with the local media in Las Vegas ahead of the season opener against the New England Patriots. Though he only worked with Cooper for a short time, he had the perfect thing to say when asked about the veteran wideout's decision to retire.
"It's unfortunate, because I think the world of him. He's a heck of a football player, he's had a heck of an NFL career," Kelly said. "But he knows in his heart what he wants to do, so I wish him the best, and I've always been a big fan of his."
This is the perfect thing to say about Cooper, and Raider Nation surely agrees with this sentiment. Cooper may have broken the fan base's heart on two occasions now, but he is a good person and was an unbelievable player for the Silver and Black in his heyday.
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Cooper is the ultimate example of things just never quite working out for the Raiders. But with better leadership in charge this time, Las Vegas is built to outlast his departure, even if it means another move may be on the horizon.
The Raiders brought in several veteran wideouts this offseason as training camp bodies, and there are a number of viable options on the free agent market. Nothing is imminent, with the first game so close, but things will certainly be reassessed on Monday.
Kelly has only been in Las Vegas for one offseason, but he already seems to have a pulse on the team and fan base. At the end of the day, "Once a Raider, always a Raider" applies to Cooper, and Kelly understands that perfectly well.