Jerry Jones: Cowboys' Amari Cooper to Return in Preseason

Getty Amari Cooper

Jerry Jones the doctor reacted to Jerry Jones the general manager’s decision to place Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver Amari Cooper on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at the onset of training camp.

Holding court with reporters, Jones revealed following Sunday’s practice that Cooper — along with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (PUP, back) — is unlikely to return before the team’s Aug. 13 preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.

“I bet it’s after Arizona,” he said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “We’ll get some game activity, I think, out of [the players on PUP].”

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Jones expects Cooper and Lawrence to receive “at least a little game action” during the exhibition period prior to Dallas’ regular-season opener at Tampa Bay.

The Cowboys’ Aug. 21 home contest versus Houston is likely to be the dress rehearsal for the reigning Super Bowl champs — and thus the likely date for Cooper, if sparingly, to make his 2021 debut.

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Cooper Felt ‘Irritation’ in Surgically-Repaired Ankle

It was something of a mystery why the Cowboys’ WR1 was not participating in Organized Team Activities nor mandatory minicamp practices this spring. That is, until June 9, when head coach Mike McCarthy announced that Cooper was “still working through” an ankle issue, for which he underwent surgery in early January.

“A clean-up procedure for Cowboys WR Amari Cooper, who should have no difficulty being ready for whatever spring workout program the team may have,” the Dallas Morning News reported on Jan. 7.

Cooper, however, did experience difficulty in his post-surgical rehab process. And while his shelving on the PUP list could prove temporary, the $100 million pass-catcher remains hampered by the nagging appendage.

“Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper may not be ready for the start of training camp due to an ankle injury. It is not viewed as a major injury, but an ‘irritation’ in his ankle that came to be roughly two weeks ago and it has prohibited Cooper from running,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on June 9. “Cooper is unlikely to be able to run for the next two-three weeks, because rest is needed to remedy the ankle. The reasoning behind him missing the start of camp and possibly ending up on the physically unable to perform list comes amid concern that with his inability to run, Cooper might not be in proper shape to avoid reinjuring the ankle at that time.”

But there is reason for optimism: Cooper was spotted doing sideline work during Sunday’s practice — no apparent hitches in his giddy-up — and arrived to Oxnard in impressive physical condition, ready to attack his fourth season in silver and blue.

“I’m not concerned. …When you see him, he’s in great shape.” Better than he was even last year,” McCarthy said last week, via the Dallas Morning News.