Dallas Cowboys trade for Amari Cooper puts heat on Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys traded away their 2019 first round selection in order to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper. Now the heat is on Dak Prescott to produce.
The Dallas Cowboys covet their draft picks. So for them to be willing to part with a first-round selection in a trade is significant. They must either believe they are getting a transcendent player in return or be so desperate that they hit the panic button in an attempt to salvage their season.
It’s likely a case of both when it comes to their newest player, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper. On Monday, the Cowboys agreed to trade their 2019 first round selection to the Raiders for the two-time Pro Bowler.
It’s a high price to pay for a wide receiver many consider to be inconsistent. But Cooper plays for an inconsistent team in Oakland. Unfortunately, so are the Cowboys right now coming off a troubling loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
One thing is clear. Cooper is a rare commodity to snag in a midseason trade. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Alabama. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound receiver posted back-to-back 1,000 yards season his first two years in the NFL. In 2017, his production fell but he was still able to post a career-high seven touchdowns. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr admitted that Cooper was playing injured all last season.
So far this year, Cooper has struggled under new head coach Jon Gruden. He’s posted 22 receptions for 280 yards and one touchdown in six games. Under contract through 2019, expect the Cowboys to offer Cooper an extension this offseason to get out from under his near $14 million salary next year.
The Cowboys have given up the potential of a first round pick for a player who is already a proven commodity in the NFL. Cooper is only 24-years and still has the bulk of his career ahead of him. Now he’ll become the top receiving threat for Dallas.
The biggest beneficiary of this move figures to be third-year quarterback Dak Prescott. First eligible for a contract extension next year, Prescott is essentially playing for his career in Dallas. And with Cooper now on the wide receiver corps, Dak has no more excuses.
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Dak Prescott has posted a career-low completion percentage (62.1) and passing yardage total (202.4 per game) through his first seven contests of 2018. And one of the biggest reasons is believed to be due to a lack of talent in his receiving corps. After trading away a number one pick to acquire Amari Cooper, the pressure is now on Prescott’s shoulders to perform.