Cowboys may cut Amari Cooper to keep Ezekiel Elliott

The Dallas Cowboys are willing to go to serious lengths to keep Ezekiel Elliott long-term, including cutting star wideout Amari Cooper.

Is cutting loose Dak Prescott’s favorite weapon really sending a good message? Well, if it leads to strengthening the ground game long-term, perhaps it’s the message Dak needs to hear.

Cooper is coming off a down year and can offer a lot of cap relief if cut this offseason. Elliott, meanwhile, could be trade bait if the Cowboys like.

Amari Cooper contract: Will he be cut?

The Cowboys can get $16 million back in salary cap relief if they release Cooper, and Jerry Jones seems to know that. Jones has dropped a number of truth bombs on local sports radio that suggest he’s unhappy with Cooper’s production given the large deal he was given by Dallas with Jones’ signature on it.

"“I thought that the way we were playing early when we did make something happen, I thought Cooper had a big part of it. And I’m not being trite. But how he fits in, he should take half the field with him when he runs a route. Not half — half is an exaggeration, of course, but a whole bunch of that defense should have to honor Cooper. And he ought to be able to catch it in the middle of when they’re going with him. Others do. You throw to people that are covered all the time in the NFL. You have to. Most people don’t have the numbers of receivers we’ve had,” Jones said."

Ezekiel Elliott contract could force Amari Cooper out

Elliott is signed through 2026, with a potential out in 2023 should the Cowboys want. Per the latest report from Ian Rapoport, however, it appears they’d rather part ways with Cooper for now.

The Ohio State product’s downturn in production has left some Cowboys fans concerned about his longevity, especially considering the wear and tear of the position. As he nears 30 years old, can Elliott be the same version of himself the Cowboys thought they were getting when he was drafted?

Dallas seems to think he can be, which is why they’d considering releasing a player of Cooper’s quality just to keep he and Tony Pollard in the backfield.