Kansas City Chiefs: First Wave Of Final Cuts Surprise Some Fans
By Ben Almquist
Marcus Cooper – DB – 4th Season
Kansas City Chiefs fans have come to expect some late preseason trade work from John Dorsey. This year it came in the form of a player that Dorsey once worked some quality preseason waiver wire work with. Marcus Cooper never really developed after a strong debut of several quality games, and he is now an Arizona Cardinal.
Ok, so Cooper wasn’t a “cut”. However, he counts as a roster move made to get closer to the 53 man limit. At the start of the year, Cooper would not have been a surprise, but he turned heads in OTAs by playing well at safety. That, and his experience, led many to think Cooper had a real shot at the roster.
Count this as another “difficult cut”. Marcus Cooper not being able to make the Chiefs 2016 roster is a clear cut improvement from 2015. Cooper is a young, cheap, depth option for a team. That is certainly how the Cardinals will use him (if they keep him).
The #KCChiefs traded fourth-year veteran CB Marcus Cooper to the #AZCardinals for a draft pick. Some depth for AZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 2, 2016
The Chiefs received a conditional 7th round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft for Cooper. That is obviously not a guaranteed return, nor a huge prize. However, the fact that John Dorsey got anyone to bite on Cooper is a victory in itself. That potential extra pick could also become trade ammunition in a draft day move.
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