Veteran tight end Chris Cooley has rejoined the Washington Redskins.
Cooley confirmed to The Washington Post on Monday that he passed his physical and has rejoined the team as a replacement for Fred Davis, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the first half of the Redskins’ 27-23 loss to the Giants Sunday.
Cooley, who was taken by Washington in the third round of the 2004 draft, was released by the team in August, freeing up $3.8 million in salary cap space. Though he drew interest from other NFL teams as a free agent after his release, Cooley said wasn’t interested in playing elsewhere for a minimum-salary contract.
“I’m really, really glad I didn’t go anywhere else,” the 30-year-old Cooley told ESPN Monday . “Right now it’s just about fitting in and doing what I can do. It’s been unreal to watch them come together as an offense, and it’s going to be fun.”
Over the course of his eight seasons with the team, the two-time Pro Bowl selection has accumulated 428 catches for 4,703 yards and 33 touchdowns.
He also ranks fifth all time on the Redskins’ receptions list and has the most receptions by a tight end in team history, putting together a 77-catch season as recently as two years ago.
However a serious knee injury limited Cooley to five games in 2011 when he caught just eight balls for 65 yards. He’d missed 20 games since 2009 after appearing in every contest over his first five years.
In addition to Chris Cooley, the Redskins also have third-year pro Logan Paulsen and second-year pro Niles Paul, who this year converted from receiver to tight end, on the roster.
