Cooper throws game winner as Huskies finish preseason with three straight victories
In the preseason finale, Eric Cooper got to play the entire game for the Toronto Huskies and even got to play some extra football, throwing a game-winner in overtime to fellow roster-bubble player WR Shawn Gore.
Gore's only catch of the day gave Toronto the 19-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams and put a bow on the preseason.
The Good
- Cooper looks comfortable in offense
Eric Cooper's physical attributes don't jump off the page and in a game like today where he got to play the entire game, Cooper was able to get into a rhythm with receivers and it paid off. He also had a few well-timed scrambles, rushing for 25 yards, and threw a perfect pass to Shawn Gore for the game winner. Only time will tell if it was enough however.
- - Schwartz separates from the pack
Anthony Schwartz was able to make a strong case for the WR4 spot with an 83-yard day and that's without Trevor Lawrence. Philip Dorsett and Rico Bussey each had just two catches while Schwartz big play ability was on display.
- Pride Jr. continues to struggle
Getting beat for a touchdown in the fourth quarter wasn't how Troy Pride Jr. wanted to end the preseason, especially when the battle between him and Dorian Burnett were close and especially with the injury to Donovan Bigby.
- - Hearst ineffectiveness as a legitimate running back hurts chances
LaMont Hearst has done more than enough to earn a roster spot as a returner. The fact that the team gave him eight carries on Friday shows that they wanted to see more from Hearst and he failed, totaling just 11 yards on those eight carries. With the team likely to already be carrying four or five running backs, carrying an extra one just for his return abilities wasn't going to cut it and Hearst failed in that aspect.
- Bigby and Gurley fall victim to injuries just as preseason ends
Both Donovan Bigby and Todd Gurley ruptured their disk against the Rams with Gurley expected to miss two months and Bigby's timetable being a little bit more optimistic. From a team standpoint, the loss of Bigby is a huge one but will be helped with the addition of Stephon Gilmore. For Gurley, this likely ends his season as the team isn't going to carry essentially "dead weight" as one of their roster spots for nearly half the season.