The Dallas Cowboys will square off against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night and Amari Cooper is anxious to face a familiar face. Ahead of Thursday's contest, Cooper spoke about facing his former teammate, Khalil Mack.
Cowboys WR Amari Cooper on Bears DE Khalil Mack: “He is a beast. Real strong guy. It will be great to see him.” Thursday’s game to be first time seeing each other since Mack began holdout from Raiders camp in 2018. Have communicated via phone since.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 2, 2019
Before joining the Cowboys, Cooper began his career with the Oakland Raiders as a first-round pick in 2015. Just a year before he was taken by the Raiders, Oakland selected Mack with the fifth-overall pick in 2014.
The two talented players would spend three seasons together before the Raiders chose to trade Mack to Chicago prior to the 2018 season. Then, Oakland decided to trade Cooper to the Cowboys ahead of the NFL's trade deadline in 2018.
This Thursday will be the first game that Cooper and Mack will face one another on opposite teams in the NFL. Therefore, the two players will have plenty of catching up to do before the game kicks off on Thursday night.
Since being acquired by Dallas, Cooper has contributed 117 receptions for 1,696 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first 21 starts with the team. On the other hand, Mack has been a disruptive force for the Bears, tallying 19 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 28 quarterback hits, and 11 forced fumbles in his first 26 games with Chicago.
When the Cowboys and Bears play on Thursday, Dallas will be motivated to extend their lead in the NFC East. While Cooper is hoping to make the playoffs, Mack's Bears are hoping to play spoiler and ruin Dallas' playoff hopes.
Cooper and Mack were once cornerstones for the Raiders but on Thursday, they'll be opponents on opposite sides of the field.
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