Ex-Washington tight end Chris Cooley says he will come out of retirement

Former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley says he will return to the NFL this season after two years away from the game.

Former Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley will return to the NFL this season after two years away from the game, he said on his radio show Monday. 

Cooley added that he may not necessarily return to Washington. 

Cooley, 33, has not played since 2012 but has expressed interest recently in a comeback. He told The Washington Post in July that he had been working out and bulking up to his NFL playing weight of 250 pounds. He also told CSNWashington.com last week that he would like to return to the franchise with which he played nine seasons. 

Cooley said three of the four people who make decisions for the Redskins are on board with his return, but the other is "strongly averse."

— Zac Boyer (@ZacBoyer) August 17, 2015

Speculation that Washington could bring back Cooley began in earnest when the team lost two tight ends—Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen—to season-ending injuries last week. 

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Second-string tight end Jordan Reed, who missed seven games due to injury in 2013 and five games last year, has been hampered in training camp by a hamstring issue. Washington signed tight ends D.J. Williams and Ernst Brun on Sunday. 

Speaking with reporters Sunday, Washington GM Scot McCloughan would not address whether the team was interested in bringing Cooley back. 

Cooley caught 77 passes for 849 yards and three touchdowns in 2010 but totaled just nine receptions for 73 yards in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He was limited to five games in 2011 due to a knee injury and was cut during training camp in 2012. He was re-signed seven weeks into the 2012 season after Fred Davis was lost for the season. 

- Dan Gartland