Cardinals reportedly interested in Chris Cooley

Retired NFL tight end Chris Cooley is looking to make a come back, and the Arizona Cardinals might be willing to give him the opportunity. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Cardinals have interest in letting Cooley come to training camp, despite not playing for the past three years.

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Cooley, 33, was one of the better tight ends in the league during his career with the Washington Redskins, spanning from 2004-12. His best season was in 2010 when he played in all 16 games and recorded 77 catches for 849 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Cooley amassed 4,711 yards and 33 touchdowns before calling it quits.

Down the stretch of Cooley’s time with the Redskins, he became increasingly injured. The West Virginia native only played in seven games during 2009 before the aforementioned healthy campaign in 2010. In 2011, Cooley missed another 11 games before suiting up for nine in 2012, the last time Washington made the playoffs.

Arizona would be a fit, considering the position has been a wasteland in the desert for years. The Cardinals had Todd Heap in the fold in 2011 and 2012, but that was a disappointment as the veteran failed to make an impact. Since then, the Cardinals have plugged John Carlson, Rob Housler and Daniel Fells into that spot. Cooley would represent a little bit of competition if nothing else, and could be useful on passing downs.

General manager John Keim has nothing to lose but a roster spot. If Cooley is terrible, the Cardinals can move on without any financial pain. If he is even the third-best tight end on the roster, Arizona gets better in a year where it believes the Super Bowl could be a reality.