49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Offensive guard Jonathan Cooper
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s 2018 “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players looks at a free-agent pickup, offensive guard Jonathan Cooper, and projects his fit for this season.
The guard position figures to be one of question for the San Francisco 49ers this season.
San Francisco will have returnees Laken Tomlinson and Joshua Garnett, who missed 2017 with a knee injury. To add to the competition, though, general manager John Lynch brought aboard veteran guard Jonathan Cooper on a one-year deal.
“We look forward to him competing for a starting job at guard, while also bringing a veteran presence to our locker room,” Lynch noted, via the team’s website. “Jonathan is a welcome addition to our team.”
Cooper, a Round 1 pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2013 NFL Draft, has bounced around quite a bit after never truly living up to his first-round draft status:
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/20/2018.
San Francisco will be Cooper’s fifth team in as many years. He broke his leg his rookie year and landed on injured reserve. Further injuries during his Cardinals tenure eventually led to Arizona trading him off to the New England Patriots, who eventually released him in October of 2016.
Cooper spent a season with the Cleveland Browns before signing on with the Dallas Cowboys last year, starting 13 games in the process.
How should he be expected to fill a role with the Niners now?
Let’s take a look.
Why Jonathan Cooper Improves in 2018
Despite starting a career-high 13 games for the Cowboys in 2017, Cooper registered a mere 67.0 overall grade last year, per Pro Football Focus, 35th among all qualifying guards. He allowed two sacks and 11 total quarterback hurries that season, per PFF, and generally performed better in run support than pass protection.
Many of the 49ers’ moves along the offensive line this offseason — adding center Weston Richburg and drafting offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey — were intended to aid head coach Kyle Shanahan’s running game.
Shanahan employs an outside-zone blocking scheme, which calls for excellent mobility and athleticism.
Despite an injury history, Cooper has this, as his NFL.com draft profile pointed out. Both the Cardinals and Cowboys utilize more of a power-run scheme compared to zone, so Cooper might not have exactly been a fit with both franchises.
That could change in 2018, as the blocking scheme appears to fit Cooper much better.
Why He Regresses
It’s impossible to avoid pointing out, but Cooper is clearly one of those players who has difficulty staying healthy. He’s dealt with one injury or another each year of his pro career.
Plus, there’s always the notion he’ll never live up to the hype that surrounded him entering the 2013 NFL Draft.
San Francisco 49ers
Cooper also had a 52.0 PFF pass-blocking grade last year, suggesting he’ll have difficulty handling the majority of elite-level interior pass-rushers the 49ers will face this upcoming season. The Los Angeles Rams, for example, are loaded up front with interior defenders Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald.
Either could prove to be problematic for Cooper, should he win a starting job this season.
What to Expect with the 49ers in 2018
The Niners will have a three-way competition at guard with Cooper, Tomlinson and Garnett battling it out for two starting jobs.
Tomlinson, after a sluggish start last year, turned things on late and looks to be in good shape to secure a starting spot. Garnett, on the other hand, has yet to prove to San Francisco’s new regime he’s worthy of consideration. Lynch and Shanahan have asked him to reshape his body during his knee recovery, and we’re yet to see how that pans out with the new offense.
Like Cooper, Garnett is noticeably better in run support than pass protection. So the key difference will be which player excels against pass-rushers between now and Week 1.
A guess would have Garnett winning out, as he at least has a modest understanding of Shanahan’s blocking schemes. But that’s a precarious hold on the spot, at best.
An early projection would have Cooper reverting back to a reserve role, immediately available to hold down a backup spot for either guard position. This would somewhat negate his injury concerns too, as there would be less in-game pressure on Cooper to stay healthy.
Next: 49ers' top 4 position battles to watch in OTAs
Either way, he looks pretty good to make the roster and at least provide depth along the O-line in 2018.