With questions still lingering around their wide receiver depth, the Dallas Cowboys could find an immediate upgrade by reuniting with Amari Cooper, who remains a free agent.
Cooper’s time with the Cowboys featured stretches of elite production and consistent play as the team’s go-to wide receiver. Acquired in a midseason trade from the Raiders in 2018, Cooper quickly became a favorite target of Dak Prescott.
Over three and a half seasons in Dallas, he recorded over 3,900 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns, earning Pro Bowl honors twice. However, his time with the team came to an abrupt end in March 2022 when the Cowboys traded him to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick and a swap of sixth-rounders. It was a move driven largely by salary cap considerations.
Cooper had a few productive seasons with the Browns before being traded again last year, this time to the Buffalo Bills. He finished last season with just 547 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 44 catches across 14 games — a likely reason why he still remains a free agent.
Cowboys ‘Obvious’ Fit for Amari Cooper
Getty ImagesAmari Cooper spent part of last season with the Buffalo Bills.
The Cowboys and Amari Cooper have a complicated history, but at this stage, both sides might need each other. With Dallas still searching for help at wide receiver, Cooper has emerged as a logical — and familiar — target. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra named Dallas as a top landing spot for Cooper.
“The most obvious pairing reunites Cooper with the club he spent three-and-a-half years leading. Sure, things went sour, particularly when Jerry Jones began lamenting about Cooper’s contract following a Cowboys playoff loss, then traded him for pennies on the dollar less than two months later, but even that bad blood can be smoothed over,” Patra said. “Dallas still has a clear need at receiver after free agency and the draft, heading into the offseason program with Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks and Jonathan Mingo as the top options behind CeeDee Lamb. Reports have already indicated that there’s potential interest from the club in a reunion. Cooper has fallen off from his previous Cowboys days, but he’d at least give Dak Prescott a familiar weapon.”
Cooper is coming off a down year but remains one of the league’s most polished route-runners. Given his chemistry with Prescott, a reunion makes too much sense for Jerry Jones to ignore.
Cowboys Did Not Address Receiver Room in Draft
As it stands, Lamb will once again be tasked with carrying the Cowboys’ passing attack. Despite battling injuries and playing part of last season without Prescott, Lamb still posted 1,194 yards and six touchdowns over 15 games, earning his fourth straight Pro Bowl nod.
The Cowboys explored options to bolster their receiving corps, showing interest in top draft prospects. However, the team ultimately didn’t select a wideout, marking the first time since 2020 that they passed on drafting one.
And the Cowboys brass has made it clear that they don’t believe a reliable No. 2 receiver currently exists on their depth chart, which includes Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy and Parris Campbell.
“Those guys have potential to be a No. 2, but they’re not there yet. They haven’t done it,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said during the draft. “They haven’t hit that level yet, and that’s why we have had an interest in upgrading that room.”
With the draft in the rearview, the Cowboys are quickly running out of options. But a reunion with Cooper remains on the table.
