Robert Cooper Returns to the Storm for 2027

"Coop, as we know him, is an excellent football player and an even better human being, which is exactly the kind of guy we look for in our organization. Coop has a motor that doesn’t stop and excellent feet, which allow him to excel. I couldn’t be more ecstatic to have him back on the team and disrupting the opponent’s offense." Coach Scheck, 2025 AF1 Assistant Coach of the Year 

He's back! Another fan favorite, Robert "Coop" Cooper is back for 2027. Cooper played for the Storm in 2025 before moving to the National Arena League. After the 2025 season, Coop had inked a deal with the Houston Roughnecks. The only problem is that by the time the 2026 season kicked off, the Roughnecks no longer existed. Another restructure for the UFL meant all-new coaching staffs and a redraft of the league. Not all that different from the situation that led Michael Lawson to the Storm in 2024. 

The subsequent draft left Coop off the roster, but he was told to bide his time and stay ready. Ultimately, the 2026 season came and went without a UFL contract, while the Storm also stayed remarkably healthy on the defensive line. This led to a year away from the playing field, but it also meant a year spent training, preparing, and getting more and more hungry to get back on the field. 

When free agency began for 2027, it took very little time for the team to offer Coop a return, and it took even less time for him to sign it. In speaking with him, Coop said: "I watched my tape from 2025, and I feel much improved." That should be a scary statement for opposing coordinators having to face him in 2027. Let's take a look at the impact he has had on organizations in the past. 

From Georgia to the NFL

Coming out of South Gwinnett High School, Robert Cooper was a 4-star recruit, ranked as the 152nd prospect nationally, as well as the 16th Defensive Tackle prospect and 16th prospect in the state of Georgia. By the time the dust settled on his recruitment, he had 37 offers, including schools like Alabama, Arkansas, and even offers from the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, but chose Florida State University. 

At that time, the Head Coach was Willie Taggart, who was currently the running backs coach for the New York Giants. The defensive coordinator was former NFL player Harlan Barnett, and the Defensive Tackles Coach is still there to this day as the associate Head Coach: Odell Haggins. Haggins has been with FSU since 1994, serving multiple roles, but the majority of his time was spent overseeing his former position, defensive tackle, specifically. Overall, he has 29 years of experience coaching defensive tackles for FSU. 

This run included developing future NFL draft picks in rounds 1-3, like Andre Wadsworth, Corey Simon, Larry Smith, Tony Bryant, Darnell Dockett, Travis Johnson, Brodrick Bunkley, Andre Fluellen, Timmy Jernigan, Eddie Goldman, DeMarcus Walker,  Derrick Nnadi, and Brandon Fiske. This would be an unbelievable run if it weren't for the fact that it is clearly documented. When you consider this is the kind of coaching that Robert Cooper received from the moment he arrived at college till the time he left, you can understand the caliber of coaches and players he was surrounded by. 

Now consider that over his five seasons with FSU, much changed across the staff, but Haggins remained the constant. He even served as interim HC during Coop's second season. That's when Mike Norvell and Adam Fuller were hired. Fuller would take over as Defensive Coordinator. By 2025, he was in the NFL, hired by the Chargers to coach safeties. 

Iron Sharpens Iron

Now that we have an idea of the coaching he received and the caliber of player he played next to, let's measure his production. Over the next five seasons, Cooper would play a total of 56 games, starting 40 for FSU. He was not a depth piece; he was the main attraction on a defensive line built out of future NFL draft picks in a time when rosters aren't limited the way they are these days. 

Listed at 6'2 335 lbs at the time, Cooper was very productive while being utilized almost exclusively as a 0-4 technique (he lined up head-up with a guard, on their inside shoulder, or head-up with the center. His job was to collapse the pocket, eat up double teams, and allow the edge rushers to get after the quarterback. Given his role, Cooper produced impressively.  

He would declare for the 2023 NFL Draft with 121 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss, 2 sacks, 3 tipped passes, and 1 fumble recovery. Let's consider the fact that Cooper also fought through a shoulder injury in his final season, which resulted in surgery prior to his pro day. Even with the effect his injury had on his senior season and pro day, an argument could be made that he still should have heard his name called on NFL Draft Day if for nothing other than the potential he showed in previous seasons. 

Even with this situation playing out, Cooper still found his way onto three separate NFL rosters by the 2024 season: Seattle, Miami, and Philadelphia. Two of these three teams would appear in 3 Super Bowls since Cooper's senior season at FSU, telling you the kind of depth and talent they had at the time. 

Looking back at the injury recovery timeline, something becomes painfully obvious. Robert Cooper did not get a fair shot to even compete for a job until the 2024 season with Miami. Let me elaborate: in 2023, he was signed by the Seattle Seahawks on May 13th 2023. This was about 4 months after surgery; it was also only 2 months removed from an interview in which Cooper said it would be a 5-month recovery. He was given 10 days under contract with Seattle. 

He would sign with Philadelphia on August 12th and be given 7 days to compete with players who had been with the team most of the offseason. He would not get another opportunity until the following training camp with Miami, when he was signed by the Dolphins and again given just 13 days to try and make the team. The NFL is a tough business, but to think that this man was signed to three teams and given a total of 30 days to prove himself, 10 of which came while he had not yet fully healed. 

2025 Season Brings Opportunity

Fast forward to 2025, and Cooper was hungrier than ever before to prove he still deserved a roster spot at the next level. In 13 games primarily lining up at nose tackle, he collected 22 tackles, 8 for a loss, and 6 sacks, 2fumble recoveries, and 1 fumble forced. He was second on the team in sacks, and in terms of true nose tackles in the league, he was at or near the top of the list when considering impact plays. 



This came while playing against Nashville 3 times, Salina 3 times, and Albany once; for the numbers guys in the crowd, that's 53% of their schedule coming against the 3 teams that ended up in the playoffs, with the fourth being Southwest Kansas. In those games, Cooper accounted for 10 tackles, 4 for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 ff, 1 fr against the best teams the league has to offer, and I haven't even mentioned the fact that they played the defending champions twice as well. 

Robert Cooper shines the brightest against the best competition and biggest games. This is not a guy who padded his stats playing against a 2-win team for 50% of their season like a few of the men atop the sack leaderboard. Cooper is the type of player Southwest Kansas would likely welcome back as long as he wants to continue playing. He is another fan favorite who brings a positive demeanor and a smile to every task. 

As the Storm continue to build their roster for 2027, re-signing Robert Cooper is a step in the right direction on the defensive line. Pairing him with one or more players from 2026 could make for a dangerous group in 2027. Also watch Robert every week on his podcast "In the Coop" on YouTube.