Tag: Rib Injury

Cowboys WR Amari Cooper: ‘I think I’ll be good to go for Monday night’

Amari Cooper is dealing bruised ribs. However, after being a limited participant in practice Thursday he says he’ll be ready for the Eagles.

Amari Cooper started his 2021 campaign off with a bang by hauling in a career-high 13 receptions and setting a Dallas Cowboys franchise record for receiving yards in a season opener with 139 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, Cooper also took a shot to his ribs, and in the Cowboys’ Week 2 win against the Los Angeles Chargers, he re-aggravated the injury in the final minute.

Thursday was an encouraging sign in terms of Cooper’s availability for the Cowboys Week 3 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles as he was a limited participant in practice. He made an appearance on 105.3 The Fan and mentioned that he’s been continuously improving throughout the week and should play on Monday.

“I’m getting better every day,” Cooper said. “I think I’ll be good to go for Monday night.”

It turns out that Cooper actually has a cracked rib, not just bruised, but will give it a go as he normally does.

Now that all signs point to Cooper suiting up, the Cowboys are hoping he can continue his dominance of the Eagles at AT&T Stadium. In three games, Cooper has tallied 19 receptions for 444 yards (148 yards per game). His biggest performance came in 2018 when he caught 10 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. It was the second-highest yardage total of his career and he sealed a 29-23 victory with a touchdown reception in overtime.

Cooper will also be looking to keep his fast start in 2021 going. He’s on pace for 1,385 yards which are nearly 200 yards more than his best season in 2019 (1,189).

With Michael Gallup dealing with a strained calf, getting Cooper back to is huge in this early-season battle for NFC East supremacy.

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Amari Cooper injured ribs vs Chargers, Randy Gregory expected back from COVID list

Amari Cooper will be re-evaluated Wednesday as the Cowboys prep for MNF; Randy Gregory is expected to be cleared to practice by then. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans got a scare when wide receiver Amari Cooper remained down on the SoFi Stadium turf after a 12-yard catch in the game’s final minute. Dallas was forced to take a timeout as Cooper was helped off the field; he did not return, as Greg Zuerlein connected on a 56-yard game-winning field goal as time expired three plays later.

Those same fans- and the team- may be able to breathe a slight sigh of relief after an update on Cooper’s status was provided Monday. Head coach Mike McCarthy said Cooper suffered bruised ribs, and that he’ll have an extra day of rest this week, thanks to the team’s next game coming on Monday night.

Cooper apparently took a shot to the ribs during Week 1’s game in Tampa, landing on another player’s facemask. He tallied three catches for 24 yards before re-aggravating the injury on Sunday.

“We’ll see Wednesday how he feels,” McCarthy said per the team website, with players scheduled to do just a walkthrough that day before starting their normal game practice on Thursday.

Wide receiver Michael Gallup is already on injured reserve with a calf injury. Cedrick Wilson started in Gallup’s spot; should Cooper be unable to play versus Philadelphia in Week 3, Noah Brown would likely get the nod.

McCarthy revealed that both defensive tackle Carlos Watkins and defensive end Dorance Armstrong are also dealing with new injuries from Sunday, a knee sprain and an ankle sprain, respectively.

Defensive end Randy Gregory, who was placed on the Reserve/COVID list last Monday, is expected to be cleared to return to practice by the middle of the week.

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