Will any Dallas Cowboys player receive the coveted 99 Madden grade?

Back-to-back agreements aren’t what I expected when I started this journey but that is exactly where I find myself. The Dallas Cowboys were ridiculed when they traded a first-round pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper but I think the team got the better end of that deal.

Cooper has turned out to be a perfect compliment to Dak Prescott more than many could have probably imagined.

Amari Cooper currently sits as the eighth-best wideout in the Madden ratings which is probably correct entering the season. There could be a case that Keenan Allen at 93 and Cooper at 92 should switch but that would be nitpicking.

Allen had 100 catches for 992 yards and eight touchdowns en route to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl. Not bad work considering he had a rookie quarterback the majority of the season. In 2017, Allen had almost 1,400 yards receiving yards followed by back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons makes me feel his 992 yards this past season are not a decline but just an adjustment to a new quarterback.

Amari Cooper has to share the ball with a trio of players so an apples-to-apples comparison might not be fair. I looked at the previous four seasons and Allen has more catches and yards than “Coop” but Cooper has one more touchdown in the same span.

Coop was also traded during that time so the gap between them makes it difficult to compare. Cooper also has four Pro Bowls to his name and has reached the 1,000 receiving yard mark in his first two full seasons with Dallas.

Michael Thomas (94) and Julio Jones (95) had down years and due to a multitude of reasons, I expect Cooper to have a similar rating but jump in the overall wide receiver standings.

Michael Thomas having uncertainty at the QB position in New Orleans is the main reason I think Cooper will jump him. Julio dealt with injuries almost all season long so the jury could still be out on him but trading an aging superstar sounds like Atlanta was convinced he is declining.

I do believe that Tennessee, who loves to run the ball, will make an attempt to throw the ball more but it is really hard not to hand the ball off to Henry if he continues the success he is currently riding. There is a plausible scenario where Julio Jones might make the desired impact in Tennessee without putting up his usual numbers.

If that indeed does happen, Cooper should be rated the same but have a higher place in the overall standings. Coop has dealt with not only getting fewer opportunities because of the other two big-time receivers on the roster but giving up plays to running back Ezekiel Elliott.

EA got this right last season, can they do it again?