It’s no secret the Dallas Cowboys have struggled this year on the offensive side of the ball, so Jerry Jones made the trade. He gave up the 2019 first round draft pick to acquireAmari Cooper this past week, and Cowboy Nation has been on fire, whether they are for it or against it. But one thing is for sure, the Cowboys offensive coaching staff and this offense have no more excuses.
Cooper, a former top 5 draft pick for the Raiders, stands at 6 feet 1 inch, over 210 lbs and runs a 4.4 second 40 yard dash. His athletic ability combined with his ability to create separation with great route running and faster than average speed makes him the defacto number one wide receiver in Dallas. The addition of Cooper finally gives the potential to open this offense up to bigger possibilities. Will he become the go to target for Dak? Let’s take a look at some numbers.
Cooper has been known for his dropped passes, having a catch percentage rate of 55.4%, 62.9%, and 50% through his first 3 seasons. But he’s averaging a career high 68% catch rate in 2018, which proves drops can be fixed, whether it be a confidence issue or just throwing the ball in a better position for him to catch the ball. Prescott has struggled with downfield accuracy this season, but Cooper has the size and speed to catch balls that may be out of reach of smaller receivers like Cole Beasley and Tavon Austin.
The biggest question, however, is how is Scott Linehan going to utilize his new wide receiver? We have seen the Cowboys use more shotgun formations with multiple receivers split out wide, but the lack of utilizing the receivers in the passing game has really limited the offense. The key however, is getting Dak on the run, whether it be a read option or a simple rollout. The Cowboys need misdirection to help their stale offense, and the threat of Dak’s mobility with the combination of Amari Cooper and Cole Beasley could spell success for the Cowboys as Cooper can stretch the field and Beasley will face less double coverage and attention from the slot.
Their first test comes in the form of the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night football. The Titans are coming of a bye week as well, having the #3 scoring defense on the NFL, allowing just 18.1 points per game, accumulating 22 sacks on the season thus far. If the Cowboys can put up at least 20 points (I know it’s a low number, but it’s Dallas), they should have a great chance at the win.
As of right now, the coaching staff is on the clock, Cowboy Nation.
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