On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers claimed former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Xavier Cooper off waivers. Cooper — who will likely play defensive tackle with his new team — should play an important role for the Niners in 2017.
The San Francisco 49ers — holding the NFL’s second highest waiver priority — surprisingly claimed only one player on Sunday, defensive lineman Xavier Cooper.
Although listed as a defensive end with the Browns, Cooper will likely start the season as the backup for 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. The move makes sense for the 49ers, who were light at potential 3-technique defensive tackles, due to injuries to Chris Jones and Ronald Blair, and the Saturday release of Quinton Dial.
Cooper played in 27 games over two years with the Browns, but had trouble finding his way into the starting lineup, before he was released by the team on Friday.
Look for Cooper to play a similar backup role with the 49ers, as he rotates in with the starters on the defensive line.
When reviewing his game film, it’s easy to see the potential the Browns saw in Cooper when they drafted him with the second-day pick. Cooper has quick burst off the line and hustles to make plays. However, his lack of arm length (31.5 inches) is apparent against larger linemen.
Here’s a look at Cooper’s stats with the Browns:
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | Fmb | FR | Yds | TD | Sk | Tkl | Ast | Sfty | AV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 24 | CLE | 96 | 14 | 0 | 1.5 | 11 | 8 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 | 25 | CLE | de | 96 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Career | 27 | 2 | 1.5 | 22 | 17 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
And here are some of Cooper’s highlights with his former team:
About the Author: Chris Wilson
