Entering the 2018 season, someone in the Dallas Cowboys front office decided that a receiving corps of Cole Beasley, Allen Hurns and Tavon Austin was enough to compete with the best teams in the league. Nearly midway through the year the club was sitting at 3-4 and in desperate need of a spark to fire up a course correction. During the bye week, the team decided to trade a first-round pick to then-Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Amari Cooper, giving the team a legit number one receiving option for Dak Prescott.
Once the hoopla of any big business move in the NFL wears off, things come down to whether that player gets it done on the field, and since his arrival Cooper has been one of the most consistent guys on the Cowboys roster.
Cooper scored a touchdown in his first game, albeit in a losing effort against the Tennessee Titans. He barely had over 100 yards in the next two games, but then proceeded to go on a tear. He had 473 yards over a three-game stretch that included 180 receiving yard and 217 receiving-yard performances. He finished his half-season with Dallas with 53 receptions for 725 and six touchdowns in nine games and was one of the main reasons they won the NFC East for the third time in five seasons.
In 2019 the Cowboys struggled as a team, going 8-8 and missing the playoffs. However, they flourished offensively under first-year coordinator Kellen Moore, and Cooper was one of the biggest beneficiaries. He set career highs in yards (1,189), touchdowns (8), and yards per catch (15.1) in his first full season in Dallas, which also happened to be a contract year.
By this time Cooper had four 1,000-yard seasons and four Pro Bowl selections in five years on his resume, which would force any team to empty the piggy with such a valuable commodity. In March of 2020, Cooper signed a five-year, $100 million deal with $60 million in guaranteed money, putting new expectations on the former Alabama standout.
With his long-term financial security intact, Cooper got off to the hottest start of his career last season. In the first four games, he amassed 401 yards on 37 receptions, but then disaster struck.
Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5, and the Cowboys would use three other quarterbacks throughout the rest of the season. Also, offensive linemen Tyron Smith and La’el Collins were gone for the season with injuries, as was No. 1 TE Blake Jarwin.
Although his chances at being effective dropped significantly after this, Cooper proved his worth. He set a career-high in receptions with 92 and had his second consecutive campaign over 1,100 yards.
He’s been steadily productive with the Cowboys but Copper, believe it or not, could have his best season yet in 2021. Michael Gallup is in a contract year, so his motivation to play well speaks for itself. Rookie CeeDee Lamb nearly had 1,000 yards even with the quarterback carousel from a year ago, and will undoubtedly better in year two. With those two causing defenses fits, Cooper will have plenty of his own opportunities to use his route-running wizardry in one-on-one situations where defenses have to pick their poison on every play. Cooper’s been known to make highlight reels out of defensive backs in these situations.
America’s Team hasn’t had much on the field success during the last three seasons. Nonetheless, they’ve got plenty of return on their investment in Cooper.
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