8. Pharoh Cooper
NFL career stats: 4 starts, 25 receptions, 190 yards, 0 touchdowns, 62.5% catch rate
Like Byrd, Pharoh Cooper ranks a bit higher than Williams because of his renowned special-teams abilities. The Cardinals saw that first-hand as they play against his former team Los Angeles Rams twice a year and picked him up when he was waived by them. Cooper was a Pro-Bowl and All-Pro returner in 2017, but had an injury and lost his roster spot in the city of angels late in 2018.
In his All-Pro season, Cooper returned 32 punts for 399 yards, he also took back 34 kick-offs for 932 yards and a touchdown. Though he’s not the fastest (4.63 second 40-yard-dash) or biggest (5-foot-11, 208-pounds) return specialist, Cooper is agile, explosive, and has good field awareness.
However, Cooper has an uphill battle to make the roster. On offense, he’s nothing more than a gadget and reserve. Though he got by with the high-powered Sean McVay offense, he didn’t with Byron Leftwich’s.
Ultimately, the Cardinals may part ways with both Byrd and Cooper. Yes, both have found success as returners, and both are able specialty weapons, but neither are complete receivers, at this point of their careers. Cooper is again redundant with what the Cardinals roster build currently looks like; return-men that can feast on gadget plays and with the ball in their hands.