The New York Jets left Foxborough with a 26-19 loss to the New England Patriots, but rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. gave the offense a meaningful development in his first full NFL game. Locked On Jets host John Butchko said Cooper finished with six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown after returning from injured reserve.
Cooper had been limited to five snaps in Week 1 before an ankle injury sent him to injured reserve. The Jets activated him Saturday for the Patriots game after he returned to practice during the week.
Butchko said Cooper looked comfortable immediately and argued that the rookie belonged on an NFL field. He also said a first-quarter touchdown catch was erased by a penalty, leaving Cooper one play short of an even bigger debut.
The performance matters because Cooper adds another young option to an offense that already features receiver Garrett Wilson and tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Mason Taylor. Butchko argued that the personnel around the passing game has improved enough to better support a future young quarterback, even as he questioned the current coaching and quarterback situations.
Cooper’s return did not change the result, but it supplied evidence that the offense has another player worth developing. The Jets play the Miami Dolphins next, and Cooper’s workload after a six-catch return will be worth tracking.
Jets News and Notes
– Butchko put much of the loss on the coaching staff, citing a failed second-and-1 sequence, a pass-heavy two-minute drive before halftime and the extended stretch without a target for Wilson. He argued that head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Frank Reich did not put the roster in enough favorable situations.
– The defense recorded no sacks and four quarterback hits against Drake Maye, according to Butchko. He said rookie edge rusher David Bailey cannot be the unit’s only reliable source of pressure after New England repeatedly used chips to limit him.
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