One thing’s for sure: Gruden will get most out of Cooper

The most likely beneficiary from the arrival of Jon Gruden has stayed true to form, keeping his thoughts to himself.

But as Gruden has spoken mostly in generalities since rejoining the Raiders, he was direct in his assessment of fourthyear wide receiver Amari Cooper.

“He’ll be the focal point of our pass offense,” Gruden said Wednesday at the NFL combine. “I hope he’s listening here today. He’s a gamer, he likes the bright lights and he’ll be the headliner in our offense.”

There has been ample speculation about the futures of running back Marshawn Lynch and wide receiver Michael Crabtree and where they’ll fit in with the 2018 Raiders.

Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie seem to want both back. In Gruden’s case, he’ll keep saying that right up to the point where he stops saying it. Should that happen, it will be because either Lynch, Crabtree or both are no longer on the roster for reasons of either salary or incompatibility.

There remains potential contract issues with both men, as well as their own feelings when it comes to rededicating themselves to a new and more demanding system.

There are no gray areas when it comes to Cooper, who battled early dropped passes as well as a nagging foot injury throughout a disappointing 2017 season. He takes a back seat offensively only to quarterback Derek Carr when it comes to having the ability to revitalize the offense.

Cooper had 48 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns last season, missing two games. The numbers were down from back-toback Pro Bowl seasons of 72-1,070 and 83-1,153 after being selected with the fourth pick in 2015.

There is no one approaching Cooper’s skill set in this year’s draft, so when Gruden, his fellow coaches and the personnel department watch wide receivers work out Saturday in Indianapolis, they’ll be looking for complementary pieces.

The Raiders have their man.

Gruden’s passing game will be built around Cooper. That will be the case even if Crabtree is aboard, and we’ll see what happens if the Raiders approach the veteran wideout wanting to reduce his $7.8 million cap number because his role will be as a clear No. 2 option.

As unfair as it sounds, even Cooper’s first two seasons could be viewed as mild disappointments because his production (and health) dipped in November and December.

Cooper, at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, can go the distance with a bubble screen or run under a rainbow. He’s fast and elusive, and was considered an excellent route runner coming out of Alabama, although that area of his game was met with some criticism a year ago.

He’ll be pushed to the limit as the “Z” receiver, or flanker, by Gruden. That means myriad shifts and motions, with a scheme catered to getting Cooper open for Carr.

To Tim Brown, the former Raiders wide receiver and Hall of Famer, it’s about time. Brown was openly critical of the Raiders last year for not getting Cooper more involved and believed issues from dropped passes were due to long periods of being ignored in the passing game.

To hear Brown tell it, those days are over with Gruden in charge.

“If he buys in, he’ll catch 125 balls a year,” Brown said. “As much as they throw the ball these days, he’ll catch 125 balls a year and be in the Hall of Fame five years after he retires.”

OK, so Brown is prone to overstating things from time to time. But it’s also true that many scouts believe Cooper’s skill level ought to have him putting up numbers similar to that of Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown, the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. or fellow Alabama product Julio Jones of Atlanta. Through three seasons, Cooper has yet to approach that realm.

But it isn’t going to be as easy as simply putting Cooper in the lineup. He’ll be challenged on a daily basis.

“He’s got to work,” Brown said. “You’ve got to be precise. To be a ‘ Z’ receiver in this offense, you’ve got to be a workhorse. You can’t come off the field. You can’t be tired. If guys like Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Rice can do it, you can do it, too. It’s going to be grind and a different way of playing football.”

Since Cooper’s work ethic has never been an issue dating back to his days under Nick Saban at Alabama, he and Gruden should get along fine. The Raiders head coach has butted heads with receivers on occasion, most notably Jerry Porter in Oakland and Keyshawn Johnson in Tampa Bay.

Porter blossomed as a complementary receiver after Gruden left, and occasionally would grudgingly give credit to his former coach for laying a foundation. Johnson caught 76 passes for 1,088 yards in Gruden’s first season with the Bucs.

With the Bucs, players such as Keenan McCardell, Michael Clayton, Joey Galloway and Antonio Bryant had some of their best years in Gruden’s system with more than 1,000 yards.

Gruden, once he gets to see Cooper on the field starting April 9, will begin forging a bond and devise ways to elevate the game of one of his most important players. The fact that Cooper isn’t flashy, avoids the spotlight in terms of the media and is serious about football will endear him to his coach.

Gruden can’t wait to get started. Cooper, meanwhile, should be immersing himself in cutups of the Raiders and Bucs from 1998-2008 and preparing to take his place alongside the best at his position.