Getty Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper.
Amari Cooper has officially played more games with the Dallas Cowboys (53) than he did with the Las Vegas Raiders (52). Despite the fact that he was traded away by the silver and black years ago, fans of the team still don’t like hearing his name. A big reason that the former top-five draft pick was traded by the Raiders was due to the fact that he would disappear from games if he wasn’t a big part of the gameplan.
That wasn’t the case with the Cowboys over his first few seasons but it could be an issue now. Dallas has two other star wide receivers in CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. It’s difficult for Cooper to have a consistent role. He hasn’t exceeded five catches or 100 receiving yards in a game since Week 8 and has only done it twice this season. Frustration is starting to set in for the four-time Pro Bowler.
“I got to be honest, it actually does,” Cooper said on if his lack of a role recently can get frustrating, via NFL.com. “Because, yeah, we’re winning, but the defense is playing a huge part in that. We’re not really as explosive as we should be. We’re not converting a lot of their turnovers into touchdowns. A lot of them are field goals. And I feel like I could be a huge part of that, so that’s what frustrates me.
“I think I can do more in the red zone if I get some targets. I can do more on third down if I get the targets. To help the offense be what we need to be, I think I can definitely help change that.”
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Raiders Fans Drag Cooper
Raiders fans will be very familiar with these types of comments from Cooper. In fact, the previously mentioned comments sound a lot like something the wide receiver had to say when he was still with the Raiders in 2018.
“Yeah, especially in a loss because you feel like you can do more to help your team win,” Cooper said when asked if he was frustrated with getting just one target in a loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, via Silver & Black Pride.
There’s nothing wrong with players getting frustrated when they’re not producing, but things are different with Cooper. Raiders fans know that and went after him for his latest comments.
@GehlkenNFL Diva!!!
@GehlkenNFL Seen this movie before. 🤣🤣🤣
Raiders fans are typically really good to players who used to play for the team but Cooper isn’t afforded those graces.
Should Cowboys Worry About Cooper?
Cooper is one of the best wide receiver prospects to come out of college in the last decade. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 draft and made the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons with the Raiders. However, he fell off in 2017 – only catching 48 passes for 680 yards. The start to his Dallas tenure has been strong. He has over 1,000 yards receiving in each of the previous three seasons.
With just three games left, Cooper only has 683 receiving yards. It’s possible that this is the first season he doesn’t break 1,000 receiving yards. The first year he didn’t break 1,000 yards for the Raiders was the beginning of the end. It will be interesting to see if he can turn things around in Dallas.
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