Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Though he grew up in Havelock, N.C., Cooper admitted he wasn't a Panthers fan growing up. Nevertheless, he's happy his family's much closer than when he was in California and Arizona.
Plus, Cooper had already been living in Charlotte, which made it easy to get together for offseason workouts with quarterback Will Grier and fellow wideout DJ Moore.
"When I signed, me and Will got together at a local high school. D.J. was already in Charlotte, too, so we just linked up, got each other's numbers, and we just started throwing there," Cooper said. "But that was a get-to-know-each-other type of meeting. Through that, we just kept throwing two or three times a week just to build that chemistry and camaraderie with those guys."
As he prepares for the 2020 season, Cooper feels like he has something to prove. He's prepared himself to be the Panthers' primary returner and feels he can bring explosive plays to the role.
"Get the ball back to the offense — whether it be a fair catch or a big 20-yard gain, 50-yard gain," Cooper said. "Have those guys trust me back there, everybody do their job, and we come together as one special teams unit. Just hope to make a lot of plays this year."
But Cooper has always wanted to be more than just a returner. He's listed as a wide receiver, after all. Last year was his first chance to play any semblance of extended offensive snaps, and he caught 25 passes for 243 yards with a touchdown. Back in college at South Carolina, he totaled 138 receptions for 2,163 yards with 18 scores, and 71 carries for 513 yards and four touchdowns in his three seasons.