Amari Cooper returning to the Dallas Cowboys has been gaining steam since the NFL Draft. Jerry Jones elected not to draft a wide receiver, which has led to them exploring a reunion with the veteran whom they traded to the Browns in 2022. Some fans, however, have pointed out that Cooper is far lesser of a player than he was when he was previously in Dallas. That, however, just means that fans and the front office need to remind themselves of the harsh reality of this situation.
Put simply, the Cowboys don't have a second option who holds a candle to Cooper, even at this stage of his career. With the current roster, Dak Prescott will be throwing to CeeDee Lamb and then either Jalen Tolbert or Jonathan Mingo, neither of whom have proven they can be a viable second receiver in an NFL offense to this point.
While Cooper may not longer be a No. 1 option like he was in his prior stint with Dallas, he's still an upgrade for the Cowboys receiver room. The hard truth is that this offense is lacking skill position talent in the worst way, a group comprised of a bonafide stars and unproven commodities with questionable ceilings as well. Cooper represents and improvement for that position and, in turn, the team as a whole.
Cowboys need to face hard truth that they simply need Amari Cooper, even if he's declined
After being traded to Dallas from the Raiders in 2019, Cooper ultimately played 56 games for the Cowboys in his career, totaling 3,893 yards and 27 touchdowns. However, to show his decline — albeit with mitigating factors in both situations — he accrued just 547 yards and four touchdowns last season in 14 games between the Browns and Bills.
Injuries have played a role in the fall-off for Cooper of late but he's also simply getting older. He'll be 31 years old by Week 1. His target separation, which measures his distance from the assigned defender on a given throw, last season was just 1.34, only 83rd in the NFL among receivers. Considering he came out of Alabama running a 4.42-second 40, it's safe to say he's lost a step.
But despite all of this, the Cowboys still need him if he'll have them. It wasn't the most ceremonious end to his time in Dallas when he was traded to Cleveland. However, Jones and the Cowboys need him now to provide some stability and, at least in the most optimistic view, perhaps even revive his career a bit by rekindling the connection with Prescott that proved so fruitful.
The ink still isn't on the dotted line for the Cowboys and Cooper but it also does seem as if we're trending that way as well. If we get to that point, Dallas fans shouldn't expect to see the dominant receiver that previously wore No. 19 with a star on his helmet. They should, however, be thankful that he's a far better option than the current alternatives.