Cowboys' Amari Cooper trade looks even more disastrous after Jerry Jeudy deal
By Jerry Trotta
It has now been two years since the Dallas Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and the decision has aged worse than fans could have possibly imagined.
Michael Gallup’s monstrous regression wasn’t expected but choosing to pay a then-one-time 1,000-yard receiver that was coming off a torn ACL in Gallup over a clearcut top-10 talent with a relatively clean injury history in Cooper was begging to blow up in the Cowboys' face.
With every offseason and wide receiver trade that passes, Jerry Jones looks increasingly foolish for jettisoning Cooper and his $20 million salary.
On Saturday, the Broncos shipped Jerry Jeudy to the Browns — the same Browns that stole Cooper from Dallas — for a fifth- sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Remember what the Cowboys got for Cooper? A measly fifth-rounder and sixth-round pick swap.
The #Browns have now traded for Amari Cooper for a fifth-round pick and a pick swap, and traded for Jerry Jeudy for a fifth and sixth.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2024
Cowboys' Amari Cooper trade looks even worse after Jerry Jeudy deal
No, we'll never get over it, thanks for asking. And neither should you.
With all due respect, Jeudy isn’t half the player Cooper is even though he garnered similar hype coming out of Alabama four years ago. The Broncos selected Jeudy No. 15 overall in 2020. That proved to be a blessing for the Cowboys, who nabbed CeeDee Lamb two picks later with the No. 17 overall selection.
Jeudy is still waiting for his first 1,000-yard season as a pro and has yet to top 70 catches in a calendar year. Still a feared big-play threat because of his ability to create yards after the catch, Jeudy has a measly 11 yard touchdowns in 57 career games.
Meanwhile, Cooper twice posted eight touchdowns with the Cowboys (2019 and 2021) and totaled 27 scores in less than three full seasons, including six in nine games in 2018 after he was acquired from the Raiders mid-season.
New Browns WR Jerry Jeudy looked up to fellow South Florida native Amari Cooper coming up, Cooper was a reason why Jeudy went to Bama, and Jeudy has patterned his game after Cooper's. Add that to the contract-year dynamic, and the Browns are well-positioned to maximize Jeudy.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 9, 2024
At the time Dallas traded Cooper, he was a four time Pro Bowler and one of the best (albeit underrated) WRs in the game. He had five 1,000-yard seasons and 40 touchdowns. Jeudy hasn't sniffed a Pro Bowl, has durability concerns (nine games missed in four years) and questions have been raised about his hustle and overall drive. And yet, he was had for more than Cooper
Though stingy and boneheaded, trading Cooper wasn't the entire problem. It's the fact Dallas got nothing of value in return for one of the best WRs in the game. Cooper had a transformative impact when he was acquired from the Raiders in 2018. He instantly became the team's best receiver since Dez Bryant and the Joneses agreed to move him for pocket change.
It's unforgivable and the continued scorn from fans and the media is fully deserved.
More Cowboys analysis:
manual