FRISCO, Texas -- The performance of Amari Cooper on Sunday night reminds everyone why the Cowboys made that blockbuster trade in 2018.
Adding Cooper to the roster for a first-round pick in a trade with the Raiders was meant to improve a dormant passing attack.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from watching Cooper, he makes people better. And with the trade deadline on Tuesday, the odds of the Cowboys making another blockbuster deal don’t seem real, unless you can find an impactful player like Cooper.
Making a smaller deal to acquire a veteran to create more depth on a team with loads of it, or quite possibly letting a veteran go for future draft compensation is realistic.
But for now, staying put also seems likely especially when you have a man like Cooper running around.
He scored the game-winning touchdown in the 20-16 victory over the Vikings Sunday night. He made two big catches on the go-ahead drive, a juggling 33-yarder and an 18-yard reception where he eluded a defender.
His best work came on the go-ahead score, where lined up one-on-one with a defender, whom he got behind, Cooper was able to jump over Cameron Dantzler to catch the five-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Rush.
After he made the touchdown, Cooper was nonchalant about the entire process as his teammates yelled around him.
That’s just Cooper, a calming presence in an emotional game. Cooper’s personality, laid-back with a warm sense of humor could be perceived as he doesn’t care. But he does care. A lot.
“I just attribute it to people not really understanding personality types,” Cooper said before training camp. “There’s so many different personality types, and I guess if somebody doesn’t have the same personality as me or as the next person, they won’t really understand. That’s what I attribute it to.”
When the Cowboys made the trade for Cooper, they weren’t getting a No. 1 wideout with a big personality like a Dez Bryant or Terrell Owens, who let everyone know they were on the field. Even Roy Williams, a player the Cowboys traded a first-round pick for in 2008, didn’t have a big persona yet was opinionated.
So what are the Cowboys getting in Cooper: “I used to be real shy, like in middle school,” he said. “I’m not as shy as I was. I’m still introverted, but I wouldn’t say I’m really shy anymore.”
On the go-ahead score, fellow receiver CeeDee Lamb wanted the play changed in the huddle so the defensive coverage could favor him. It wasn’t done in a negative manner, just within the competitive spirit. Cooper, just the same, reminded him the play isn’t changing.
“CeeDee was like, ‘Coop, you want to let me get this?’‘’ Cooper said Sunday night. “I said ‘Hell nah.’ So that’s how much pride I take in wanting that ball in those pivotal moments because I know I can go up and make a play.”
You don’t need to act a fool in the huddle or on the sidelines to want the ball. There are other ways to go about your business and Cooper does it in such a professional manner that carries over to the rest of receivers on the team.
“There’s a lot of mutual respect amongst the guys and there’s a lot of unselfishness,” receivers coach Adam Henry said. “We’re winning and even before winning the guys pull for each other, want them really to do well. And so there’s certain examples of Coop talking to CeeDee or [Michael Gallup] on the sideline and say, ‘Stay the course. You never know. I was in one game, had no catches in the first half and then second half against Philly, I have all these catches.’ So just kind of staying in the moment and staying in the game.”
Outside of the numbers Cooper produces, the way prepares is unmatched for a receiver on this Cowboys team in some time.
“There’s one thing that jumps out when I watch film on Amari and that’s his creativity,” said former receiver Brandon Marshall, now a NFL analyst for CBS Sports and Showtime.
“I don’t know how the heck they found ways to run these traditional routes, these old school routes, five different ways. That’s what makes Amari special.”
Cooper takes care of his footwork and looks for different levels to get into a route to confuse the defender.
It’s all these things that makes the trade and the contract extension that came with it a few years later -- a five-year, $100 million total contract with a $40 million guarantee -- worth it.
“Yeah, I think I’m the best receiver in the league but there’s a difference between thinking you’re the best and actually going out there and proving it,” Cooper said. “Do I think I’m the best? Yes. Have I proven it? I wouldn’t say I have.
“There are guys who have actually put up some great numbers, they’ve taken advantage of their opportunities and stuff like that. I’m just still trying to take advantage of my opportunities and trying to put up those numbers to lead the league in yards, touchdowns -- all across the board, really.”
