It was Week 7 in the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys had just suffered a loss to the Washington Redskins. The Cowboys fell to 3-4 on the season, searching for answers heading into their bye week in Week 8. They decided to make a move to acquire Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders.
The Cowboys surrendered a first-round pick for Cooper's services. There was a ton of backlash, questioning whether or not the Cowboys gave up too much for the 24-year-old wide receiver. Coming out of the bye week, Dallas was set to take on the Tennessee Titans. They would lose the game but Cooper seemingly brought the missing piece to their offense.
In all of their previous losses, the Cowboys were incapable of stretching the field with teams stacking the box to stop Ezekiel Elliott. In the offseason, the Cowboys signed Allen Hurns and drafted Michael Gallup. Neither has shown they can consistently be a go-to guy this season at the wide receiver position.
In Cooper's debut for Dallas, he finished with five receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. It was just the fourth time on the season a Cowboys wide receiver had a game where he had five or more receptions, along with 50 or more receiving yards. Cooper continued to show his ability to stretch the field in his second game.
His second game came against the Philadelphia Eagles, where the Cowboys won 27-20. Cooper had a solid outing, completing the game with six catches for 75 yards. Since Week 10, Cooper's second game with the Cowboys, Dallas had yet to lose a game until this week against the Indianapolis Colts. They defeated the likes of the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and the Eagles again.
Before Cooper's arrival in Dallas, the Cowboys offense was too predictable in today's NFL. With the league going towards being a spread offense type of league, the Cowboys were unable to throw the ball effectively. This left them relying on Elliott to run the ball against seven to eight-man fronts constantly.
Of course, that game plan proved to be unfruitful, as Dallas saw themselves sitting in a position where they didn't feel comfortable being. Dak Prescott was being criticized heavily in the media, while people were calling for Jason Garrett to be on his way out. One move, a trade for Cooper, changed the whole landscape for the Cowboys' season.
Luckily for the Cowboys, the NFC East has collapsed with injuries and bad quarterback play this year. That gave them a perfect opportunity to seize control of the division going forward. Now back to talking about the play of Cooper. In recent weeks, he has been especially vital to the Cowboys offense.
Since joining the team in Week 8, Cooper leads the Cowboys in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards per game. His play has elevated the Cowboys into being a true contender in the NFC playoff picture. The Cowboys went from a team at 3-4 who was headed towards missing the playoffs, to one who will likely see a home playoff game in the Wild Card round.
The reason many questioned the trade, was because of how Cooper was playing with the Raiders. In his six games with Oakland, Cooper had just 22 receptions, 280 yards, and just one score. Now in seven games with the Cowboys, Cooper has 44 catches for 674 yards and six touchdowns.
Amari Cooper in six games with the Raiders this season: 22 catches, 280 yards (12.7 avg.), 1 TD.
Amari Cooper in six games with the Cowboys this season: 34 catches, 642 yards (18.9 avg), 6 TD.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 10, 2018
Three of those touchdowns came just a couple weeks ago in the Cowboys win over the Eagles in overtime. In the win, Cooper caught the game-winning touchdown. The play was spectacular, as Rasul Douglas, a cornerback for the Eagles, deflected the pass but it fell right into Cooper's hands. It was a play that put the cherry on top of a phenomenal performance by Cooper.
His ability to stretch the field and make plays has benefitted everyone on the offense. One guy who could attest to that is Ezekiel Elliott. In Elliott's first seven games sans Cooper, he averaged 113.4 yards from scrimmage per game. Since Cooper started playing in Week 9, Elliott has skyrocketed to 161.7 yards from scrimmage per game.
That isn't just due to the improved play of Elliott in the backfield. With the presence of someone like Cooper on the field, it allows Elliott to run against more run-friendly defenses. When you face the Cowboys, you can no longer stack the box and commit to stopping the run. Therefore, you now have to account for Cooper's ability to make plays as well.
Even Elliott himself has seen how much of a difference that Cooper makes on this offense, especially in last week's huge win.
Ezekiel Elliott on if he expected days like Sunday when the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper: "I didn't know we were going to get all that, honestly. But when I finally saw him in person…I really realized he's truly special…I'm glad to have that guy on the same side as me." https://t.co/DwXrj7I578
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 10, 2018
The Cowboys are getting hot at the perfect time as the playoffs are right around the corner. The statement that Cooper wasn't worth a first-round pick has lost its substance. It's crazy to think that the addition of one player has completely changed the viewpoint of everyone surrounding the Cowboys this season and going into the future.
Follow Us
Subscribe