Amari Cooper was overrated here. Look at the numbers

[Whyjerry]

Here’s a thought to ponder. Cooper is second WR1 to be released with Dak. Will Lamb flounder here as well in coming years?

Cooper had his best year under Dak. You Dak bashers are so stupid.

 

[big dog cowboy]

THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:

• Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
  • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)

• He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
  • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
  • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.

• He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
  • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
  • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
  • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
  • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.

I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.

OUTSTANDING post!

 

[Bobhaze]

The problem with that Logic is Lamb this year, and Gallup a few years ago had seasons with Dak that were about the best that Cooper has ever had. Even if the QB is the problem, AC should be able to separate himself from perceived lesser receivers

How about Debo Samuels and Justin Jefferson? Top 5 receivers who have Jimmy Garropolo and Kirk Cousins throwing to them. Decent QBs at best. But those guys are stars.

Another good example of this is Allen Robinson, the Chi receiver, and Jacksonville before that. He was hurt some last year but put up 102 and 98 receptions over two seasons with people like Blake Bortles, Mitch Trubisky and Andy Dalton throwing to him.

Having a great QB is nice. But great receivers always seem to bubble up no matter who’s throwing it to them.

 

[Tussinman]

Amari is a strange case. Never elite but very solid. Will likely finish his career with 4 or 5 pro bowls, over 9000 yards, and over 60 touchdowns (those are damn good numbers, better than 95%+ of WRs that are ever drafted).

If Amari's name was "Donald Driver" then literally nobody would criticize him.

His draft position and expectations if anything set him up for low probability of praise or respect. He's a great player, hope he does well on his next team.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Here’s a thought to ponder. Cooper is second WR1 to be released with Dak. Will Lamb flounder here as well in coming years?

If CeeDee fixes his bad case of the dropsies, he could legitimately become a very good #1 WR for us.

Cooper is getting cut for his own doing, not because of Dak.

There is a big reason why the Raiders were so willing to get rid of him. They certainly lucked out getting a 1st round pick by us for Cooper. Dumb Jerry.

 

[Typhus]

Cooper had his best year under Dak. You Dak bashers are so stupid.

It will be painful watching CDs stats diminish.

 

[Diehardblues]

Cooper had his best year under Dak. You Dak bashers are so stupid.

I’m not a Dak basher, I’m just providing thought to ponder. Everyone deserves some critical thinking.

We all know why we traded for Cooper.

 

[phildadon86]

I love many of your posts, but we must look at who is throwing the ball.

Lol.

 

[Diehardblues]

If CeeDee fixes his bad case of the dropsies, he could legitimately become a very good #1 WR for us.

Cooper is getting cut for his own doing, not because of Dak.

There is a big reason why the Raiders were so willing to get rid of him. They certainly lucked out getting a 1st round pick by us for Cooper. Dumb Jerry.

We definitely over paid but Coop provided what he was meant to do in 2018. Remember where our offense was before we brought him on board . He helped prop up our offense .

 

[America's Cowboy]

We definitely over paid but Coop provided what he was meant to do in 2018. Remember where our offense was before we brought him on board . He helped prop up our offense .

Because in 2018, we had no other good WRs. Gallup was a rookie that year.

By cutting Cooper, his savings allows the Cowboys to keep Gallup, Cedrick and Noah. That's the smart thing to do. Can still add another WR in the draft, especially since so many ran in the 4.2s - 4.4s this year at the combine...
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl...s-tracker-2022-draft/rmv6wkixvezssy1yuodlxuim

 

[Diehardblues]

His numbers make it crystal clear. I still can’t believe he had less YAC last year than Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard. He avg a little over 12 yds per reception the last two seasons. That’s possession receiver numbers not star #1 receiver numbers.

He’s a great route runner which makes him very valuable. But he’s not a big play threat every down like about 20 other receivers in this league. This team needs more than he can give.

Again, Coop is a very good receiver. At this point in his career, I see him as a really good possession receiver. Not a $20 mil a year star like he was being counted on to be.

While I agree he’s being over paid which shouldn’t be surprising to our dysfunctional situation and he obviously is a much needed cap release the bigger argument here IMO is what will his loss mean to our offense and QB effectiveness.

 

[Typhus]

Cooper had his best year under Dak. You Dak bashers are so stupid.

No, and you need to start paying attention to who the real non achievers are.
Coop is just fed up with never having a real QB for his entire career is all.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

How about Debo Samuels and Justin Jefferson? Top 5 receivers who have Jimmy Garropolo and Kirk Cousins throwing to them. Decent QBs at best. But those guys are stars.

Another good example of this is Allen Robinson, the Chi receiver, and Jacksonville before that. He was hurt some last year but put up 102 and 98 receptions over two seasons with people like Blake Bortles, Mitch Trubisky and Andy Dalton throwing to him.

Having a great QB is nice. But great receivers always seem to bubble up no matter who’s throwing it to them.

Yeah I don’t necessarily agree with the narrative that Dak is incapable of satiating a bigtime receiver, but even if we go down that path… it’s still a flawed conclusion.

 

[Motorola]

Well thought out post as usual and I agree the numbers don't look so good. I'd love to keep Cooper, but that damn contract is a problem. That said, I think a lot of Cooper's numbers are due to how the offense is being run, and Dak not trusting his receivers to win in one-on-one situations. Lamb seems to have the dropsies more than all the other receivers. My memory may be weak due to heavy alcohol consumption on gameday. Just sayin'.

'TexasBoy2288' - I also have those "hacog" a couple of times during the season.
But I make it a point to go back and watch the games again "in a clearer frame of mind" to understand
what went right- and then went wrong - during the Cowboys for 2021-22.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

No, and you need to start paying attention to who the real non achievers are.
Coop is just fed up with never having a real QB for his entire career is all.

a receiver who requires Aaron Rodgers to properly earn his contract is not a receiver worth having around

 

[Brax]

THIS IS NOT A HATE AMARI COOPER THREAD. I like Cooper. But I also think it was a smart move for the Cowboys, both for obvious cap reasons and the fact that he was overrated here.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us count the reasons why Cooper’s release could be a good thing:

• Amari Cooper is a very good receiver. He’s an excellent route runner. BUT- he is not a great 3rd down receiver (when you need a 3rd down conversion)
  • In 2021, Cooper was 26th in the league in 3rd down receptions for a first down. For $20 mil a season, that’s not great. (Btw- Cedee Lamb was 16th)

• He’s not as much of a big play guy as he used to be- In YAC yardage, Cooper was way below avg- GET THIS- Dalton Schultz, Cedric Wilson and Tony Pollard all had better YAC numbers than Coop in 2021.
  • Cooper has never been that great in YAC numbers in his career. He’s really more of a possession receiver which makes both his price tag and his lack of big 3rd down plays a problem.
  • His last two seasons, he’s only averaging about 12 yards per reception. Again, more of a possession receiver than a big play receiver.

• He has tended to disappear in the bigger games when your big play receiver is MOST needed. Not all big games. He did have some big games. But not enough to make him a star. Here are some examples:
  • In both playoff losses Cooper played in, (2018, 2021) he averaged less than 70 yards per game.
  • In 2019’s most critical game that decided the NFC East vs Filly, Cooper had 4 receptions for 24 yds and famously stood on the sidelines in the last drive.
  • Another critical game in 2019, vs NE on the road, Coop got shut out with zero catches. (Randall Cobb and Gallup had 86 and 55 yds that day)
  • In that terrible loss against Arizona last year that cost us the #2 seed, Coop had 3 catches for 18 yds, despite 8 targets and two drops.

I’m not here to bash Amari Cooper. He’s a very good receiver. But Cowboys fans, let’s be honest. Is he a top 20 receiver in this league? NO. Not in receptions, YAC, 3rd down conversions…etc, etc. We cannot pay a WR $20 mil a season with that kind of return.

Will we miss Cooper? Maybe some. But the cap savings could provide more help at other positions without losing much on offense.

In my book letting him go is the right move.

How soon you forget 2017 and 18, so AC didn’t mean much, think again.

 

[starman22]

While I agree he’s being over paid which shouldn’t be surprising to our dysfunctional situation and he obviously is a much needed cap release the bigger argument here IMO is what will his loss mean to our offense and QB effectiveness.

Well that should be obvious, take away Dak's best receiver and Dak should do even better this year.

I don't know what went on with Dak and Cooper this year, but I don't think it was all Cooper.

I guess Cooper is the one taking the fall. Wonder who is next in line.
Kellen Moore
O-line
McCarthy
Zeke

Dak? Nah, looks like he is back to infallible again after his downturn after the crappy game against SF and pretty much the last half of the season.

 

[links18]

It's not Cooper's fault the Jones Boyz paid him like he was Irvin. What was he supposed to do, decline the contract? Of course, he was overrated and overpaid and he ain't the only one. The guy (not)throwing the ball is in same boat.

 

[Bobhaze]

How soon you forget 2017 and 18, so AC didn’t mean much, think again.

Did you read the OP? He did help us in 2018. But he was being asked to be a superstar WR. That is something he never was nor will be. He’s a very good WR. He’s not a star.

 

[Brax]

I’m not a Dak basher, I’m just providing thought to ponder. Everyone deserves some critical thinking.

We all know why we traded for Cooper.

Many have amnesia about that