Is former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley pondering an NFL comeback?
Currently working as a football analyst for ESPN 980 in Rockville, Md, Cooley -- at 33 -- has amped up his workout regimen this offseason to get back to his playing weight of 250.
"I feel (bleeping) awesome,"Â Cooley said, per Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post, after a morning session that saw him power clean 350 pounds -- his most since college.
Cooley hasn't played a snap since 2012, when he returned to the Redskins midseason after being cut by the team in training camp.Â
Today, with much of his radio work based out of Redskins Park, Cooley has been lifting weights, running routes and hanging around with many of his old teammates. While The Post notes that he "couldn't imagine playing for a team other than the Redskins," the newspaper reported that Cooley spoke with at least one offensive coordinator about returning to the field.
"If I went to camp, I could be anybody's third tight end, worst case," Cooley said. "I have no doubt. Any team in the NFL, I could be their third tight end. There's not a question in my mind."
His speed wasn't the same in 2012, but it's worth noting that current 'Skins coach Jay Gruden -- then with the Bengals -- was one of two assistants interested in pursuing Cooley the following season, before being told that the nine-year veteran was finished with football.
Asked recently, though, if he wanted to play again, Cooley acknowledged on-air: "I'll just say that I want to," adding: "Two years ago, had I gone somewhere (other than Washington) and it didn't work out, I would have had my feelings hurt. And now, I think it would just be fun."
Any sort of comeback is a long shot, but it's worth noting that Cooley -- who left the game with 429 grabs for 4,711 yards and 33 touchdowns -- was one of the league's better pass-catching tight ends during his prime. It's not crazy to imagine some team emerging from the deep to give him a look.
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