NFL
The Dallas Cowboys Aquire Wide Receiver Amari Cooper
The Oakland Raiders have dealt wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a future first-round pick. This means the Raiders will have three first-round picks in next year’s NFL Draft.
Dallas gains a receiver who can be a threat down the field, something their offense so desperately needs.
Cooper’s Production
Collegiate Accomplishments
Amari Cooper was selected fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was also the top receiver coming out of college that year after winning the Biletnikoff Award. As a freshman, he accumulated 59 catches for 1,000 yards. Those numbers were good enough to break Julio Jones’ freshman records.
That says a lot when considering the type of receiver Jones has been in the NFL so far. Cooper set more school records as a junior with 124 catches, 1,727 yards, and 16 touchdowns. He is Alabama’s all-time leader in every receiving statistical category.
Professional Achievements
Cooper set franchise records for the Raiders as a rookie with 1,000 receiving yards, five 100-yard receiving games, and 72 catches. This is the same franchise that drafted the great Tim Brown at wide receiver. Cooper followed up his rookie season with 83 catches for 1,153 yards in year two.
He also made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. In Week 7 last season, he had a career-high 210 receiving yards. An ankle injury plagued him for most of 2017 as he posted just 48 catches for 680 yards.
The Gruden Effect
Ever since Jon Gruden has come back to coach the Oakland Raiders, he has made some key changes to the roster. The most controversial was his willingness to trade away one of the best defenders in the league, Khalil Mack. This move confused a lot of pundits around the league. A lot of the Raiders’ faithful were outraged with the move.
Now Gruden has gotten rid of a young Pro Bowl receiver in Cooper. His numbers are down, but the Raiders’ offense as a whole has struggled since Derek Carr broke his fibula late in the 2016 season. Oakland was a huge favorite to possibly win the AFC Championship that year and go onto the Super Bowl.
A 1-5 start to this season has certainly put a bad taste in the mouths of players and fans. To make matters even worse, Gruden did not address the team concerning the Cooper trade on Monday. He decided to wait until Wednesday to discuss it.
A Win For The Cowboys?
It’s no secret that Dallas needed a deep threat at the wide receiver position, it’s something that they’ve been lacking since releasing Dez Bryant during the offseason. The Cowboys had to get another weapon for Dak Prescott to throw to, and that’s exactly who Amari Cooper can be for the Cowboys.
Sometimes a change of scenery can do a player some good. Dallas is certainly hoping that is the case in this situation. The Cowboys gave up a first-round pick for Cooper. Some might think that it was too high a price. Dallas did have a chance to pick up Josh Gordon earlier in the season when the Cleveland Browns released him.
Gordon even said that he would have loved to have played in Dallas. Instead, Gordon was picked up by the New England Patriots, and he has made a positive impact on New England’s offense.
Defenders have to account for Cooper anytime he’s on the field. Which is something Dallas needs and can take advantage of. Hopefully, this will take the pressure off Ezekiel Elliot and give Prescott an extra target to hit downfield.
Photo Credit
Featured Image courtesy of Gene Bernshtam
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