Aaron Glenn and the Jets keep showing us how they really feel about Omar Cooper Jr.

Either the New York Jets have something special planned for rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr., or he’ll open his rookie season primarily coming off the bench.

You’d hope that there’d be some level of middle ground for the No. 30 pick, but the first two preseason games have shown otherwise. Despite his status as a first-round pick, Cooper has mostly been a non-factor, recording three catches for 40 yards. He drew only a single target in Friday’s win over the Steelers, though that went for a 9-yard gain.

Considering that the Jets traded up to land Cooper, his lack of impressive performances both during training camp and the preseason raises legitimate questions about how he’ll factor into Frank Reich’s offense.

Should New York Jets fans be worried about rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr.?

By now, you know the deal with much of the Jets’ starting offense, especially as it pertains to Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and the receiver room. But the growing question is what the snap and target distribution between Cooper and Isaiah Williams will look like when the regular season kicks off in three weeks.

After not drawing a target against the Buccaneers last Friday, Williams had three catches for 17 yards against the Steelers. Jets quarterbacks threw his way five times, and he trailed only Quincy Skinner Jr. in receptions. All signs point to Williams — who spent the offseason training with Olympic sprinters — earning regular first-team action. 

The greater issue is that Cooper hasn’t turned heads the way that Williams or tight end Jelani Woods has in recent weeks. Without even playing his first meaningful game, he’s already become the annual first-round pick you forget is even on the roster.

In fairness, none of this should be surprising if you’ve paid attention throughout the last month. We can all agree that standing out in OTAs and preseason often means nothing. Victor Cruz is the exception, at least as it pertains to those players becoming above-average starters — and remember, Cruz went undrafted out of UMass. Cooper is a first-round pick who the Jets moved up for, even after taking Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16. 

There are no indications that Cooper is injured, and he’s been completely healthy — as far as the Jets have disclosed — since being drafted in April. Sadiq remains out while recovering from a sports hernia, and it is unclear whether he’ll suit up against the Titans in Week 1.

You’re free to argue that Cooper’s lack of preseason targets doesn’t matter. But with a new quarterback and new offensive scheme, wouldn’t Reich and Aaron Glenn want to get their first-round receiver as many meaningful snaps as possible? That’s supposed to be the entire point of the preseason. It’s not like the quarterbacks are forcing the ball to Wilson and Mitchell solely because they’re the top two wideouts.

As of Saturday morning, the Jets have not announced how much the starters will play in next weekend’s preseason finale. We’d call it his last chance to force his way into the rotation, but at this rate, he’ll be lucky to get two targets.

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