Jets Sign CB Marcus Cooper, Cut TE Nick Truesdell

The New York Jets have signed veteran cornerback Marcus Cooper, who was recently cut by the Detroit Lions. To make room on the roster for Cooper the Jets cut tight end Nick Truesdell for the second time in about a week.

Marcus Cooper is a 29 year old, 6’ 2”, 195 pound cornerback out of Rutgers University. Cooper was originally drafted with the 252nd selection in the 7th round of the 2013 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, but he never played for the 49ers. Cooper’s rookie year was spent with the Kansas City Chiefs, and it was arguably his best season in the NFL. In 2013 with the Chiefs Cooper racked up an impressive 19 passes defended and three interceptions. Cooper was unable to come close to that kind of production the next two years with the Chiefs and he moved on to the Arizona Cardinals in 2016, where he became a starter and had another fairly impressive stat line, with 11 passes defended and four interceptions.

That 2016 season would be the last time Cooper impressed. Cooper moved on to the Chicago Bears in 2017 and saw limited action, then spent 2018 with the Bears and the Detroit Lions while barely seeing the field.

This signing is unlikely to solve the Jets issues at cornerback, but perhaps Cooper will be able to provide something better than the rather underwhelming assortment of players the Jets currently have at the cornerback position. You never know when a guy might catch lightning in a bottle and turn back the clock to his best years. In any event, this is the opening salvo in what is likely to end up being multiple moves in an attempt to improve the alarming situation the Jets find themselves in at cornerback. Welcome to the Jets Marcus Cooper.