Getty Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper.
Despite the fact that it’s been over a year since the Raiders traded away Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys, fans of the silver and black still hold disdain for the wide receiver. He didn’t help himself when he decided to throw shade at the Raiders a few months after the trade took place. He gave haters a lot of ammo when he made some big drops towards the end of the 2019 season and disappeared in some big games.
The problem with Cooper has always been how inconsistent he can be and it doesn’t seem like that has changed much. It’s easy to blame the Raiders for Cooper’s past struggles, but it’s clear he has bigger issues. Quarterback Derek Carr has taken a lot of criticism over the last couple of years, but it could be argued that he’s never played with an elite wide receiver. When talking about the Raiders’ current quarterback situation, Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown had some interesting comments about Cooper.
“Derek has never had a true No. 1 receiver,” Brown said last week during an interview on NBC Sports Bay Area’s Radio Row. “Amari Cooper was there but there were some issues during that time, even though they had some good years together. I think people felt like he was not a top, top guy. And then the whole AB situation happened this year.”
Brown is one of the greatest wide receivers of all time and if he’s saying that Cooper isn’t a “true” number one receiver, then it holds some merit.
Brown Predicts Derek Carr to Be Raiders QB in 2020
Rumors surrounding the Raiders’ quarterback situation have gone wild since the season ended. Names like Tom Brady and Jameis Winston have been connected to the team, but Brown thinks that the team is going to stay put.
“I don’t think they’re going to make a move this year,” Brown said. “I don’t foresee them doing that but, at the same time, it’s always good as an athlete to know, ‘I really need to go out and do well.’”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the Raiders are planning to pursue Tom Brady if he becomes available. While his report certainly holds merit, it remains to be seen if Brady will actually leave. If he doesn’t, it’s doubtful that Raiders pick somebody like Winston over Carr.
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Brown Believes Carr Should Get a Chance With a No.1 WR
The biggest thing working in Carr’s favor is that he got subpar wide receiver play in 2019. When he’s had strong wide receivers, he’s played much better than what we’ve seen over the last two seasons. Brown believes that the Raiders should get him a top wide receiver and give the quarterback one more shot.
“I would love to see Derek with a true No. 1, a guy who, on 3rd-and-6, everybody knows where the ball is going,” Brown said. “From there, you’ll know. If Derek has a [subpar] year like he has had or the team is not in the playoffs, maybe you think about a move. But I think you’ll see a big difference in Derek in that situation, with the top receiver on the team.”
Brown’s proposal seems to be the most logical as there aren’t great options at quarterback in free agency and the Raiders aren’t drafting high enough to land one of the top prospects in the draft. Carr has proven in the past that he can be elite. Give him one more shot with a first-round wide receiver and let him seal his own fate.
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