The Oakland Raiders have traded former first-round pick Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys per Josina Anderson of ESPN. Let’s take a look at how things shake out for what exactly the Cowboys are getting.
There are two ways to look at this trade. The first being, the Cowboys acquire a 24-year old receiver with loads of potential” or the Raiders unload struggling Cooper to Cowboys.”
In Amari Cooper’s first season with Oakland, he became the first Raiders wide-out to eclipse the 1,000-yard marker since Randy Moss in 2005. In his second season, Cooper would increase his receptions and yards, becoming 1-of-3Â receivers in NFL history to record 70+ catches and 1,000 yards in their first two seasons.
In year three, however, the regression began for Coop. Call it a down year for quarterback Derek Carr, a bad offensive coordinator in Todd Downing, lack of targets, whatever the case may be, his production was slashed. Hoping for a return to his pro bowl form in year four, Cooper’s sporadic play has been amplified.
Cooper’s infrequent ability to produce was seen on national television as he caught one pass on Monday night football against the Rams. On the contrary, Cooper exploded in week two as he torched the Denver secondary to the tune of 10 catches for 116 yards.
Week three was yet another no-show performance from Coop as he finished with 2 catches for 17 yards. Against Cleveland in week four, Cooper flashed his potential yet again with 8 receptions for 128 yards and found the end-zone once. In Cooper’s last full game as a Raider, he was a virtual non-factor with one catch for 10 yards against the Chargers.
There is a strong likelihood Cooper was a flash in the pan with his recent struggles and the Raiders may have already won this trade as they’ve added yet another first round pick to their arsenal. However, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie noted the up and down play from Cooper but ultimately he thinks he will do well down there in Dallas.” per Michael Gehlken.
At the end of the day, McKenzie did what he felt he had to do.
Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie: “We made a trade today to the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a trade that we feel it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass on to get a first-round pick. In this business here, I thought that was invaluable for me. It was something I felt like I had to do.â€
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 22, 2018
Raider Nation, what is your reaction to this trade? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter!