Dallas Cowboys: The Amari Cooper Effect after four games
When the Dallas Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper many believed they gave up to much for him. After four weeks, Cooper is proving his worth and here’s how.
The Dallas Cowboys front office were on to something when the gave up a first round pick for Amari Cooper. His presence on this team has had an effect that I don’t think anyone saw coming. Before he was on this roster many believed that the Cowboys season was on the verge of collapse while other thought it already was.
Cooper has turned all that around with his play on the field. His mere presence on the field has caused teams to shadow a safety to his side of the field giving running back Ezekiel Elliott the holes he used to see with Dez Bryant and Jason Witten on the field.
Before Cooper, Elliott was averaging almost 4.9 yards per carry and 586 yards rushing now with Cooper on the field Elliott is averaging 5.3 yards per carry with 455 rushing yards.
A small jump in terms of numbers but it shows that teams are starting to shift their focus towards the Dallas Cowboys passing game by taking a safety out of the box more often. But it’s not only Elliott that is benefiting from Cooper’s presence quarterback Dak Prescott is as well. Prescott’s completion percentage and yards per game have increased while his interception rate a decreased.
Cooper’s play on the field seems to have given Prescott more confidence to throw with more anticipation, something that seemed to be non-existent over the first six weeks of the season. He is also giving Prescott wider lanes to throw into due to the coverage being thrown Cooper’s way.
There is one more thing that Cooper’s play on the field has done for the Dallas Cowboys, it has kept the defense fresh. For a defense that is one of if not the most important thing they need from their offense and Cooper is helping give that to them by converting on third downs.
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The effect of Amari Cooper on this team is something that can’t be overlooked when it comes to the turn around we have seen. Let’s hope that he can keep it up and help lead this young Dallas Cowboys team into the playoffs.