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LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have signed free agent tight end Chris Cooley. The team also placed tight end Fred Davis on its Reserve/Injured list.

Cooley (6-3, 243), the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end, was released by the Redskins on Aug. 28, 2012. He spent his first eight seasons with the Redskins and posted 428 receptions for 4,703 yards and 33 receiving touchdowns.

Last season, Cooley became the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end, surpassing Redskins legend Jerry Smith (421). Cooley’s 428 receptions rank 20th all-time by a tight end in league history.

Cooley holds four of the top five single-season reception totals by a tight end in team history, including recording at least 70 catches in 2005, 2008 and 2010.

Davis (6-4, 247) leads the team in receptions (24) and receiving yards (325) through seven games. In 2011, he established single-season highs in receptions (59) and receiving yards (796). The 796 yards were the fourth-most in a season by a tight end in Redskins history. During his five-year NFL career, Davis has recorded 155 receptions for 1,973 yards and 12

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Redskins announced today that they have released tight end Chris Cooley, the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end.

Cooley (6-3, 243) had spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Washington Redskins since being drafted by the team in the third round (81stoverall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. In his time with the Redskins, he posted 428 receptions for 4,703 yards and 33 receiving touchdowns. He was the team’s longest-tenured player on the roster.

Last season, Cooley became the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions by a tight end, surpassing Redskins legend Jerry Smith (421). Cooley’s 428 receptions currently rank 19th all-time by a tight end, nine receptions shy of Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow and one reception ahead of Mike Ditka and Dallas Clark.

Cooley also exits in the top 10 in team history amongst all players in receptions (fifth), receiving yards (ninth) and receiving touchdowns (ninth). He holds four of the top five single-season reception totals by a tight end in team history, including recording at least 70 catches in 2005, 2008 and 2010.

© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) The Washington Redskins have signed tight end Richard Quinn and placed nose tackle Chris Baker on injured reserve.

Tuesday's moves give the Redskins more depth at a position made thin by Fred Davis' suspension as well as injuries to Chris Cooley and Mike Sellers.

Quinn was a second-round draft pick from North Carolina by the Denver Broncos in 2009. He played in 29 games, with four starts, in two seasons with Denver before being released this preseason.

Baker spent most of this season on the Redskins' practice roster. He was signed to the active roster last week - then pulled a quadriceps muscle on the same day.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Washington Redskins rookie receiver Leonard Hankerson is out for the year after hurting his right hip in his first NFL 100-yard game.

Hankerson dislocated the hip and tore the labrum in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-9 loss to Miami.

The third-round pick out of Miami was making his second start. He caught eight passes for 106 yards.

He will become the fourth Redskins offensive starter to go on injured reserve, joining tight end Chris Cooley, running back Tim Hightower and left guard Kory Lichtensteiger. Receiver Santana Moss and left tackle Trent Williams have also missed multiple games with injuries.

In addition, defensive lineman Kedric Golston tore two knee ligaments on Sunday. He will miss the upcoming game against Dallas and his prognosis beyond that is uncertain.

Updated November 14, 2011

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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Chris Cooley says he's "100 percent" a casualty of the lockout.

The Washington Redskins tight end on Thursday discussed the left knee injury that has sidelined him for the season. He had surgery at the end of last season and didn't rehabilitate it properly - even when it began to feel stiff during the offseason.

Cooley couldn't work out with the trainers at Redskins Park because of the NFL lockout. Yet, even though the game has made him a millionaire many times over, he didn't hire a physical therapist until June. He says he was just trying to work through the pain as he always has, and he now wishes he had sought help sooner.

Cooley caught only eight passes this season and was placed on injured reserve this week.

Updated October 27, 2011

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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley is recovering from surgery on his broken left index finger.

Cooley had the operation Wednesday. He was hurt in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia.

Cooley is also dealing with a left knee injury. Coach Mike Shanahan says Cooley will meet with a doctor on Sunday to help determine whether the veteran will return this season.

Cooley was one of three offensive players injured against the Eagles. Guard Kory Lichtensteiger tore two ligaments in his right knee and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Left tackle Trent Williams has a high right ankle sprain and is expected to miss two to three weeks.

The Redskins promoted guard Maurice Hurt from the practice squad to the active roster. Guard John Malecki was signed to the practice squad.

Updated October 19, 2011

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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) The Washington Redskins have lost one offensive player for the season and maybe another. A third will probably be out at least a couple of weeks.

The ensuing shuffle could look chaotic: As many as four of the five starters along the offensive line could be different next week.

Coach Mike Shanahan said Monday that left guard Kory Lichtensteiger is done for the year with two torn ligaments - the ACL and MCL - in his right knee. Tight end Chris Cooley, already dealing with a nagging knee injury, will have surgery Wednesday on his left index finger and will then be evaluated to see whether he should return.

Also, left tackle Trent Williams has a high sprain on his right ankle, an injury that typically sidelines a player for several weeks.

All three were hurt in Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"It's going to be a big challenge," said Jammal Brown, the right tackle who might move to left tackle.

Sean Locklear filled in a left tackle after Williams was hurt Sunday, but he and Brown might swap places. Locklear is more of a natural fit on the right side, and Brown went to two Pro Bowls as a left tackle with the New Orleans Saints.

When Lichtensteiger left the game, Will Montgomery moved from center to left guard, and first-year player Erik Cook made his NFL debut at center.

Shanahan is leaving his options open for the alignment for this week's game against the Carolina Panthers, but there aren't many: The Redskins were carrying only eight offensive linemen on their roster. He plans to promote seventh-round draft pick Maurice Hurt from the practice squad to restore some depth.

The Redskins rushed for only 42 yards against the Eagles and allowed two sacks and nine hits on the quarterback.

Some players said Lichtensteiger was hurt on an illegal hit by Eagles defensive end Darryl Tapp. Shanahan said he couldn't see the hit on the coaches' game film.

Cooley had offseason surgery on his left knee and has had it drained several times. He broke his finger on a jarring hit by Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Asked if Cooley will play again this season, Shanahan said: "We'll listen to (doctors') opinions over the next few days, especially after the surgery, to make a decision for sure."

Cooley has been supplanted by Fred Davis, who leads the team with 343 yards receiving.

Updated October 17, 2011

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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) It's been a long time since the Washington Redskins were really, really good. So long ago, in fact, that Chris Cooley has to talk to the franchise's legends to get an idea of what it's like.

"The sense for me of what a division title would be - in the sense for me of what a great playoff team would be - comes from guys around here that have done it," said the veteran tight end, who has been with the Redskins since he was drafted in 2004. "Comes from talking to Joe Theismann. Comes from talking to guys like Gary Clark. Joe Gibbs was a part of it.

"So I'm aware of, I guess, what it could be like, but I just don't know what it will feel like, and I'm excited for that. I'm excited for our fan base. I've been here long enough that I'm a fan and I know how the people here feel, and we want to make them happy."

The Redskins (3-1) on Sunday will play one of their biggest regular season games in the last 15 years. It's still October, but they've been in sole possession of first place in the NFC East this late since 1999, the last time they won the division. They are hosting the rival Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) with a chance to leave the overhyped preseason favorites in the dust. No team has recovered from a 1-5 start to win a division since the NFL went to a 12-team playoff format in 1990.

"We understand this is a big game," coach Mike Shanahan said, "a division game, NFC East. We understand our opportunity to separate ourselves within our division, but we also know that we've got to take care of business and do things the right way, play one of our best games because we're playing a very, very talented team and a team that we know is desperate for a win."

The 1999 Redskins, with a high-scoring offense led by quarterback Brad Johnson, won the only division title since Gibbs captured the last of the franchise's three Super Bowl trophies at the end of the 1991 season.

1999 was notable because Dan Snyder completed his purchase of the Redskins shortly before training camp, and the division was clinched with an overtime win at San Francisco on Dec. 26. Three days later, Snyder had two huge burgundy banners hung on the front facade of Redskins Park proclaiming his team as the "1999 NFC Eastern Division Champions."

The Redskins have made two playoff appearances since then, in 2005 and 2007 during Gibbs' second tenure, but those were two mediocre seasons turned around by December surges that salvaged wild card berths. The thought of Washington actually taking command of the NFC East is a foreign concept to nearly everyone now employed by the team.

"I'm excited to play a game," Cooley said, "where we have a chance to really establish a lead in the division."

The prospect is especially sweet given the projections that had the Redskins finishing in last place for the fourth straight season, with perhaps only modest improvement from last year's 6-10 squad.

"As a coach, even as a player, you get a feeling that good things are happening," said defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, recalling his memories from winning a division title as head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2000. "It's kind of a feeling within the organization. Guys work hard, and guys have fun being around one another. Guys enjoy going out to practice, and guys like being in the meeting rooms and that. I would say it's night and day from last year to this year with this football team, that I feel. And I think the players probably feel the same way."

Shanahan is still relatively new in town, taking over last year as the seventh head coach during the Snyder era, but he has been quick to understand the yearning for a return to the franchise's glory days - or anything close to it.

"We've got a lot of tradition here," Shanahan said. "The thing that I really enjoy about the fans is that they want stability, they want character, they want a football team that's going to play hard week-in, week-out, and hopefully we can show some consistency to them."

Should the Redskins win Sunday's big game, they'd be setting themselves up for possibly bigger games in November and December. First place in October is an accomplishment best enjoyed in moderation.

"One lap, with a whole bunch of laps to go," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "It really doesn't mean too much for us."

Notes: Cooley had his left knee drained again this week after another buildup of fluid. The knee has hindered him since early in training camp, and he has only seven catches this season. Cooley was limited in practice again Thursday, along with RB Tim Hightower (shoulder), WR Anthony Armstrong (hamstring) and CB Phillip Buchanon (back). ... The Redskins had to practice in the rain for the second straight day, even as the construction of an indoor practice bubble continues at a snail's pace because of the bad weather. Shanahan has made the bubble a running joke when opening his post-practice session with reporters. "Seattle doesn't get this much rain," he said.

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Updated October 13, 2011

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WASHINGTON (AP) Six bleeps in 40 seconds. Maybe that'll be the most noteworthy statistic from the Washington Redskins' loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The liberal use of expletives came from cornerback DeAngelo Hall, one of the Redskins' five team captains, before the team's public relations staff cut him off in the locker room following Monday night's 18-16 loss to the Cowboys.

Too late. Hall had already ripped the refs for a facemask call and criticized his coach's decision to dial up a blitz that backfired.

A week ago, the Redskins were jokingly - and happily - calling themselves "boring." Now they've got their drama back, thanks to another crazy game against their most hated rival.

There's Hall's verbal barrage. There's coach Mike Shanahan - his hair a mess because he just took off the headset - unleashing a glare that would set fire to glaciers after Rex Grossman's latest critical turnover, a play that down the road might be remembered as the moment another quarterback controversy began. There's the curious pass-happy play-calling by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in the second half. There's yet another Redskins chapter in the book on how to botch a field goal.

The loss dropped Washington to 2-1, in a three-way tie for first in the NFC East. It also exposed many of the flaws that had critics doubting the Redskins in the first place. Yet they were oh-so-close to 3-0, beaten by a hair by a Cowboys team that looked thoroughly disorganized and needed a heroic game from Tony Romo to muster six field goals - with no touchdowns.

Now comes a short week to prepare for a road game against the awful-looking St. Louis Rams (0-3). Lose that one, and the party will truly be over.

For the time being, the focus remains on the play that got Hall so riled - the third-and-21 that Romo and the Cowboys converted on the game-winning drive. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett opted for a full blitz - eight men on the line - when conventional wisdom says to blanket the field so as not to allow the big play.

The Cowboys were ready. They spotted the blitz and contained it while Romo rolled right and found Dez Bryant, who eluded Hall enough to make the catch for a 30-yard completion. Hall had no safety help because of the blitz, and he left no doubt as to his feeling that Haslett had gone to the well once too often - and at the wrong time.

"Sooner or later, someone's going to (expletive) figure it out," Hall said. "You don't have to be a (expletive) rocket scientist to figure it out after a while."

So the blitz wasn't a good play?

"You tell me," Hall answered. "The end result was a first down."

To make things worse for Hall, he was flagged for a facemask penalty on the play. He said it was the "worst call of the game" and that the official would "get demerit points" because of it.

Hall's words reverberated Tuesday as the standing word on the matter because Mike Shanahan kept Redskins Park off limits. Shanahan chose not to address reporters the day after the game, despite a new and explicit recommendation from the league offices that coaches do so.

Linebacker Brian Orakpo, appearing on Redskins affiliate ESPN980, acknowledged that the full-out blitz probably wasn't the best idea.

"It kind of backfired against us. ... I know it's a call we wish we could have back," Orakpo said.

The third-and-21 debacle would have been irrelevant had the Redskins taken advantage of a number of other opportunities. They had a field goal blocked for the second straight week, this time because holder Sav Rocca bobbled a slightly high snap from Nick Sundberg. The offense drove inside Dallas' 35-yard-line five times but managed only one touchdown.

In the final minute, Grossman had the Redskins near midfield with enough time to get in field goal range when he was flushed out of the pocket and stripped from behind by Anthony Spencer, the type of turnover that appears too often on Grossman's resume and helped make it touch-and-go whether he or John Beck would win the starting job out of training camp.

Kyle Shanahan kept Grossman busy with a lopsided game plan while the Redskins were ahead. The Redskins ran 13 plays while holding the lead in the second half: 10 passes, two runs and one sack. The results of those three drives: punt, punt and punt.

"When you're on the road, against a division rival, and you've taken a 16-9 lead in the second half, it's crucial to have another scoring drive," Grossman said. "And for whatever reason, we couldn't do it. We've got to swallow this one, get ready for a short week, and come back strong."

Otherwise, the season will have a familiar feeling.

"I don't think this team's going to take a huge lesson from this loss," tight end Chris Cooley said. "I think the only thing we can say is `find a way to finish.' It's cursed us since I've been here."

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Tony Romo had no choice. He had to play, broken rib and all.

His new bride wouldn't have tolerated anything less.

"She said, `Are you kidding? You're playing. I can't have a weak husband lying around the house here,'" Romo said - smiling and wincing after leading the Dallas Cowboys to an 18-16 victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday night.

Romo had a mostly forgettable night except for the fact Dallas won.

He was hurting so much he needed two pain-killing injections. His center had a tendency to snap the ball too soon or to the wrong spot. And he couldn't get into the end zone no matter what, not even with a first down on the 2-yard line.

Yet he set up Dan Bailey for six field goal tries, and the rookie made them all, including a go-ahead 40-yarder with 1:52 left.

When linebacker Anthony Spencer forced a fumble that teammate Sean Lee recovered with 28 seconds left, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett dropped to a knee and pumped his fist wildly. He had good reason to celebrate: Dallas was about to be 2-1, guaranteeing no repeat of last year's miserable 1-7 start.

The Cowboys are even tied for first place in the NFC East, along with Washington (2-1), which was seeking its first 3-0 start since 2005.

"We're better than last year - already," Dallas linebacker Bradie James said.

This was the second straight game that a Romo-Bailey tandem pulled out a victory. Against San Francisco a week ago Sunday, Bailey made a tying field goal at the end of regulation, then the winner in overtime.

Bailey's other kicks Monday night covered 41 (twice), 32, 27 and 23 yards.

"We had good snaps, good holds, great protection. I had the easy job," said Bailey, an undrafted rookie who was named the nation's top kicker in college last season at Oklahoma State. "Whenever you can string a couple of kicks together, it's a confidence booster."

Romo was hardly hit in the first half, then the Redskins got in several crushing blows starting just after halftime. That's also when the snaps became an issue. He couldn't hide his frustration with new center Phil Costa, and clearly wasn't happy with receiver Kevin Ogletree after an incompletion at the end of the drive that reached the 2. That failure forced Dallas to settle for its fifth field goal and a 16-15 deficit instead of a go-ahead touchdown.

Rob Ryan's re-energized Dallas defense got the ball back quickly, and Romo took advantage. Another bad snap left the Cowboys with a third-and-21, and Romo followed with a rollout to his right and a deep pass to Dez Bryant for a 30-yard gain. Another 15 yards were tacked on because of a facemask penalty on the beaten defender - cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who last week said he was hoping "to put my helmet on whatever's hurt" on Romo and all other wounded Cowboys.

Hall had plenty more to say after the game. In an expletive-filled interview, he questioned the eight-man front on Bryant's catch and the official's decision to flag him.

"I told the ref after that call, that might have been his worst call of the game," Hall said. "He's going to get demerit points for that call. Because that wasn't no facemask."

Romo was 22 of 36 for 255 yards. His best stat was simply lasting all four quarters.

"I want to play," Romo said. "We only get to go out and do this 16 times, 16 days out of 365 days a year. You want to be out there. You put so much effort, when you go, you go."

Romo wasn't the only Dallas player who gutted it out.

Bryant missed the previous game because of a thigh injury, yet had four catches for 63 yards. Felix Jones, who separated a shoulder against the 49ers, ran for a career-high 115 yards and caught three passes for 40 more. Jason Witten fought through a rib injury to catch six passes for 60 yards.

"It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but enough to win the game," Garrett said.

The Dallas defense limited the Redskins to field goals on two of their first three drives, the latter reaching the Dallas 9.

Rex Grossman really only had one solid drive, a 76-yarder capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Tim Hightower that put Washington up 16-9. The Redskins never even crossed midfield after that, punting on three straight drives then losing the fumble.

"It feels like the waste of a week," tight end Chris Cooley said. "We're capable of winning a division game on the road. I'm disappointed with the way we finished."

Grossman was 22 of 37 for 250 yards. He was sacked three times - once by DeMarcus Ware, his NFL-leading fifth - and threw an interception.

Explaining his game-deciding fumble, Grossman said, "I was trying to make a play. I felt like I could get the ball to Santana (Moss). I obviously couldn't."

Most of the Redskins' points came from Graham Gano, who made field goals of 50, 46 and 27 yards. Another was blocked after a poor hold.

"We're going to find out what type of football team we have," Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. "When you lose like that it hurts. We don't have time to feel sorry for yourself."

Updated September 27, 2011

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