National Football League

Cooper could see more playing time for Cardinals

Published Oct. 27, 2014 4:49 p.m. ET

foxsports

TEMPE, Ariz. -- General manager Steve Keim said the coaching staff is pleased with guard Jonathan Cooper's performance in practice, adding the second-year pro is starting to look like the player Keim envisioned before Cooper broke his leg in the 2013 preseason.

"I wouldn't be surprised if in the next couple of weeks we try to work him back in there," Keim said on his weekly radio appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7. "He continues to improve and we certainly have not lost any faith in him."

When asked what role he saw for Cooper going forward, Keim said, "It's been no secret Paul Fanaika has been banged up a little bit and when you have a player with Coop's ability, you have to try and get him some snaps sooner rather than later."

It's an odd statement to make one day after Cooper saw just one snap against the Eagles, and it's not the first time Keim or coach Bruce Arians have expressed confidence in Cooper. To date, that confidence hasn't translated into playing time.

Is it because Fanaika and Ted Larsen have played so well? The Cardinals have allowed just 11 sacks, the eighth-best mark in the NFL, but the run game has been inconsistent all year and was poor on Sunday. That is Cooper's supposed strength, especially as a pulling guard. His continued absence from the offense is perplexing.

The Cardinals are tied for 28th in the NFL in sacks with seven. That's no surprise given the personnel losses the front seven endured eight games into the season (Daryl Washington, Darnell Dockett, John Abraham, Matt Shaughnessy, Calais Campbell).

But the lack of personnel hasn't stopped defensive coordinator Todd Bowles from blitzing with abandon. There is a purpose, even if Arizona isn't registering sacks.

"The thing we want to do defensively is be disruptive and I thought we were disruptive," Arians said of Sunday's 24-20 win over the Eagles. "Sacks are the one thing that's down but the disruption is there."

What the Cardinals try to do is move the quarterback off his spot and disrupt plays so timing and structure are off. Even so, Arians admitted he wants more sacks.

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, but it's unlikely the Cardinals will be able to pry anybody away from another team. Pass rushers are precious commodities.

-- Arians said running back Stepfan Taylor could miss significant time with a calf strain. The Cardinals already are short-handed at that position following the September arrest of Jonathan Dwyer. That may necessitate a roster move to add a back and could also mean a greater role for former ASU running back Marion Grice.

The Cardinals also have Robert Hughes, and Kerwynn Williams is on the practice squad.

-- Arians said cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tony Jefferson are going through concussion protocols. Jefferson woke up with symptoms on Monday. Arians said they'll have to wait and see on Peterson, but noted All-Pro was "jumping around in the locker room right now."

Apparently, he was also doing it in the locker room on Sunday, right after the win.

"When we came in at the end of the game, Pat was jumping around, slapping guys on the head, jumping on people's back, hugging people," safety Rashad Johnson said. "I was like, 'Dude, don't you have a concussion? You should be sitting down in a dark room with your eyes closed right now.'"

Peterson after the game tweeted he will be fine to play Sunday in Dallas. Obviously, nobody knows for certain.

-- Arians expects tight end Troy Niklas (high-ankle sprain) to return to practice this week.

-- The Cardinals (6-1), Broncos (6-1) and Cowboys (6-1, play Monday night) are the only one-loss teams left in the NFL.

-- Following the Cowboys' loss to Washington on Monday night, the Cardinals own the NFC's best record at 6-1.

-- Arians praised his rookie class for excellent play, singling out defensive lineman Ed Stinson for his third straight strong game.

-- With the victory over Philadelphia, the Cardinals improved to 13-3 in their last 16 games dating back to Week 8 of 2013. That's tied with Denver for the best record during that span.

-- Entering Sunday's game, the Eagles had scored at least 21 points in a franchise-record 14 consecutive games, which also ranked as the longest active streak in the NFL. Arizona held the Eagles to 20 points. The Cardinals have held opponents to 20 points or fewer in all six of their wins this season.

-- The Eagles' 110 rushing yards represented the first time Arizona allowed an opponent to rush for more than 100 yards this season, dropping the Cardinals to No. 3 against the run (77.9 yards) behind Denver and Detroit.

Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter