Getty Amari Cooper
They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Well, the backdraft is becoming pretty hard to escape in Philadelphia.
As Dallas continues to negotiate with their franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, the rumors about them possibly parting with their top receiver keep spreading. Amari Cooper will be a free agent when the calendar turns the date to March 18, unless the Cowboys work out a new contract with him prior to 4 p.m.
The Cowboys could decide to use the franchise tag on Cooper, something that the receiver would probably prefer to avoid but could become inevitable. The deadline for that is March 10.
Either way, the Philadelphia Eagles have emerged as a likely landing spot for Cooper. That’s right. The Cowboys’ biggest rival — and top threat in the NFC East — could swoop in and steal their best playmaker.
How likely is that scenario? Likely enough for one national pundit to say that the Eagles “lead the pack in trying to chase him down.” CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker ranked Philadelphia as the top destination for Cooper and put the New York Giants at No. 2 on the short-list to acquire Cooper’s services.
If the Cowboys can’t keep the reins on Cooper, they can expect the rival Philadelphia Eagles to lead the pack in trying to chase him down. The Eagles are reportedly considering moving on from Alshon Jeffery following a season marred with injury and a rumored rift with Carson Wentz, and Nelson Agholor is an unrestricted free agent not expected to be re-signed. Add to this the fact DeSean Jackson himself is aging and returning from injury, and you can rapidly see how much adding Cooper would immediately impact the Eagles receiving corps.
And, of course, they’d love to stick it to their bitter rival from Texas in the process.
![Patrik [No C] Walker](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1716921492607565824/l1gvip-K_normal.jpg){kind=small}
The expectation remains Amari Cooper will be in a #Cowboys uniform in 2020 — by hook or by crook — but there are variables that can change it.
I break it down here, including his projected deal and who’ll pursue if he‘s allowed to take calls.
DETAILS ⬇️
NFL.com Names Top 101 NFL Free Agents for 2020
The days are dwindling down to when teams can start negotiating with free agents. NFL.com released its list of the league’s “Top 101 NFL Free Agents” as a primer to get everyone ready. Two Cowboys players were ranked in the Top 3 on the list, including Dak Prescott (1) and Amari Cooper (3).
The highest-rated Eagles free agent is Jason Peters at No. 56 as rumors swirl that the team may re-sign the future Hall-of-Fame left tackle. Philadelphia had a few other players make the cut, including safety Rodney McLeod (70), cornerback Ronald Darby (73), tackle and guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (87) and cornerback Jalen Mills (93). Of course, the Eagles have been linked to every edge rusher, cornerback and receiver in the world.
One interesting name to keep an eye on is Jaguars edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. He has 37.5 sacks in four seasons and might be the most underrated free agent on the board. Better yet, he could be ready to leave the doldrums of Jacksonville for the bright lights of a big market like Philadelphia.
Here is what NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal and Chris Wesseling wrote about Ngakoue:
Yannick Ngakoue
EdgeNgakoue specializes in the blind-side speed rush, a style of QB hunting that tends to generate takeaways via strip sacks and forced mistakes. Not yet 25 years old, he understands players with his profile will break the bank once the bids start rolling in.
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