Through his first three years in the league, Amari Cooper has established himself as one of the top young wide receivers in the league. However, he experienced a significant drop off in production while dealing with nagging leg injuries last season.

Since the arrival of head coach Jon Gruden, he has spewed nothing but an encouraging outlook toward the 23-year-old. According to Mark Inabinett of AL.com, Gruden once again voiced a strong level of optimism stating that he is hoping Cooper can recapture his Pro Bowl form in the 2018 campaign.

“He has to get healthy and stay healthy,” Gruden said about Cooper at the NFL's annual meeting last week. “We need him to be the player he was the first two years. I've said it earlier: We're going to make him the main vein of our passing offense and move him around a lot. … We are really excited about him. I think he’s entering the prime of his career.”

In each of his first two seasons, Cooper put together back-t0-back campaigns with at least 70 catches, 1,000 receiving yards, and five touchdown receptions. He had developed the reputation as being a reliable big-play threat despite his issues with drops over that stretch.

However, Cooper took a significant step back in 2017 with an utter lack of consistency in his play that saw him finish with fewer than 70 receiving yards in all but two games played. This included failing to crack double-digit receiving yards on five occasions along with being held without a catch once. He had also dealt with a bothersome sprained ankle that forced him to miss a game and exit another one early after re-injuring his leg along with dealing with a concussion.

That said, Cooper should have a full bill of health heading into the 2018 campaign with a likely heavy role as the unquestioned No. 1 receiving option for Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr. With a full training camp in Gruden's offense, it could lead to a bounce-back year.