Immediately after the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys have reportedly began expressing interest in bringing wide receiver Amari Cooper back into the fold. It makes complete sense after Jerry Jones and Co. neglected the position of dire need in the draft. However, the big question was whether or not Cooper would be interested in a reunion. Now, we have that answer as, according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, the free agent receiver indeed would be interested in returning to Dallas.
During an appearance on SportsCenter while providing an update on Micah Parsons extension talks with the Cowboys, Fowler noted that that Dallas and Cooper could use some of that available cap space this offseason to sign Cooper, more notably reporting that there is "some mutual interest" between the player and organization (h/t Bleacher Report). That's the first we've heard about mutual interest, and it changes quite a bit.
Interest only takes a team but so far. Not only do they have to be interested enough to meet the dollar figure that a free agent is looking for in a new contract, but the player simply has to be interested in joining the team as well. With Cooper, that wasn't a certainty given that Dallas didn't handle trading him to the Browns in the most deft or even smart manner possible.
Now that we know that Cooper has at least some level of interest, though, the ball feels like it's entirely in the Cowboys and Jerry Jones' court.
All the pressure is now on the Cowboys to sign Amari Cooper
When it was only rumored that the Cowboys were exploring the possibility of bringing Cooper back, there was an inherent excuse built into that. If the receiver simply didn't want to return to Dallas, the Jones family could wash their hands of it and find a way to address the dire need on the roster to get a secondary playmaker opposite of CeeDee Lamb.
Now that we know Cooper is interested, though, it becomes almost vital that the Cowboys see this through and get No. 19 back in Dallas. Cooper being open to rejoining this organization represents the right match for what Brian Schottenheimer's offense needs in his first season as head coach.
Cooper is certainly not the star receiver he was during his previous stint in Dallas. While he was a perennial 1,000-yard receiver for the Cowboys in his tenure, he managed just 547 yards and four touchdowns with the Browns and Bills last season across 14 games played. He no longer looks like a top option for any offense. However, he still has the mold of a solid secondary receiver option, especially one who pairs beautifully with Lamb.
Given that he's no longer a WR1 in the NFL, that also means that the price should be quite reasonable to bring him in, which we know is always of concern to the Jones family, particularly when weighing looming extensions for Parsons, DaRon Bland and perhaps others. More importantly, though, Cooper is the right price and the right fit for this offense.
Now that we know Cooper would be willing to become a Cowboy once again, Dallas has no excuses to not make a deal and this reunion happen.