Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper struggled big time throughout the 2017 season, catching less than 49 percent of the passes thrown in his direction for 680 yards. It was the first time in three seasons the former first-round pick failed to hit the 1,000-yard plateau.
Cooper also missed two games to injury (concussion, high-ankle sprain), but that doesn’t necessarily explain away his struggles in the other 14 games. Now, according to Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr, it looks like Cooper was suffering through injuries over the course of the entire season.
Carr also went on to say that Amari battled injuries all season.
"He would never say it to you but I'll say it to you to have his back. That man was out there giving anything he could and honestly, a lot of guys probably wouldn't have played with what he had"
— Eddie Borsilli (@Borsilli) February 16, 2018
That could definitely explain why Cooper was a shell of his former self in a season that should have seen him take his game to an elite level.
The Raiders as a whole just didn’t perform up to level. A year after putting up 12 wins, the team finished with a 6-10 record. It led to the firing of Jack Del Rio after three seasons as the team’s head coach. Now, with Jon Gruden aboard, the hope is that Oakland can rebound in 2018. Having a healthy Cooper in the mix will be a big part of this.