Who Should I Start? Darius Cooper or Arian Smith

Sunday, August 16, 8:49 AM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper, who was singled out by quarterback Jalen Hurts earlier in training camp as an emerging player, was busy in the team's preseason opener on Saturday in the 24-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, hauling in two of his team-high five targets for 21 yards. The 24-year-old went undrafted last year out of Tarleton State before latching on with the Eagles and catching nine of 11 targets for 92 yards and zero touchdowns in 13 games played (zero starts). Cooper has had more of an opportunity in camp of late with both DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and first-round rookie Makai Lemon (hamstring) missing over a week of practice. The Eagles are also without A.J. Brown now, so there is more opportunity for Cooper to make some noise in Philly's WR room as he competes for a role behind Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. If Lemon gets off to a slow start in his rookie campaign after missing valuable time in camp, Cooper could be the primary beneficiary. He's also competing for offensive snaps with veteran Hollywood Brown.