Not even 24-hours after losing tight end Fred Davis to a torn left Achilles tendon for the season, the Washington Redskins have agreed to re-sign tight end Chris Cooley pending a physical on Monday.
The injury occurred to Davis in the first half of the Redskins’ 27-23 loss to the New York Giants. He needed assistance to the sideline before being carted off to the locker room.
“I didn’t know what it was right away,” Davis said. “I have never experienced anything like that. I was unable to walk and then I knew something was really wrong.”
Coming into Sunday’s game he was the team’s leading receiver for the season with 23 catches for 312 yards. After the game Davis described to reporters how he was injured.
“I was running my route and stuck my leg in and either got stepped on or it happened naturally,” he said.
The injury has put a damper on what he wanted to accomplish this season.
“I had a lot of things I wanted to do this year and I was doing it,” he said. “It’s very discouraging.”
Even though Logan Paulsen stepped in for Davis and had four catches for 76 yards, the Redskins still decided to contact and re-sign former Redskin Cooley.
The two-time Pro Bowler was released by the Redskins in the summer after spending eight seasons with the team. During his time with the team he caught 428 passes for 4,703 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Cooley was emotional at the time, but said that he had no issues with the decision.
“I have every belief that I can be not only a productive player but a starter in this league,” Cooley said at the time of his release. “I’m very confident in my ability to continue to play the game. It would be a tough decision for me to put on another jersey. It’s something I’ve never really had to imagine.”
For now Cooley doesn’t have to worry about putting on another jersey.
The decision to re-sign Cooley was fairly simple because he was familiar with the offense, teammates, and fans. There have been times where he has been featured as a blocker and pass catcher. He will need to work on his timing with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Since being released, Cooley stayed in contact with team officials and working out in D.C. area. The new deal will probably be for remainder of the season and for less than $3.5 million he was set to earn before being cut.
