Amari Cooper is now a member of the Dallas Cowboys after he was traded from the Oakland Raiders for a first-round pick earlier this week. The young wideout will be under pressure to be the No. 1 receiver the Cowboys desperately need. But for now, Cooper is just excited to make a fresh start in “America’s Team.”

“It feels great,” Cooper said per David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. “It feels like a fresh start, just like a freshman year in college or something like that.

“I mean the first thing you think about when you hear the Cowboys is that star, ‘America's Team,' and all of that. It's a great franchise.”

The Cowboys have received criticism for surrendering a first-round pick for Cooper, who has regressed since his promising first two seasons in the league. After posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, the former No. 4 overall pick has not performed as such. Through six games this season, Cooper has just 22 catches for 280 yards with one touchdown.

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Cooper will need to post some much better production in Dallas to justify the steep price they paid for him. He acknowledges he has to adapt to the new offensive system in a hurry after arriving in midseason.

But the Cowboys clearly have confidence in Cooper to return to his top form, which is why they pulled the trigger on the trade for him. It remains to be seen if Cooper can repay that faith they’ve placed in him, but if he does, the Cowboys could finally have that top-caliber receiver they’ve needed for some time.