Cooper would be expensive but could produce big impact
Each week, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will without fail deliver glowing praise for his team’s opponent, and last November was no different when he was asked about Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper.
“You can start with him,” Belichick said. “He’s got great speed, he’s a big-time vertical threat (and his) run-after-thecatch is very good. He’s a sharp route runner — he can get in and out of his cuts. …
“He can kill you on short catch-and-run plays. He can run
all of the intermediate routes, which are hard to cover, and he can certainly kill you down the field in single coverage on the outside or on inside routes if you don’t have a middle-of-the-field defender.”
Four days later, Belichick had eventual NFL defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore vicegrip Cooper (no catches). But that doesn’t mean the analysis was incorrect. Cooper has just about every tool an elite receiver needs.
The Broncos should be intrigued by Cooper’s skills and the dimension he can add to a passing game that has Courtland Sutton but needs more. In one situation, Cooper may not be available. If the players don’t approve the new collective bargaining agreement this week, the Cowboys could franchise tag quarterback Dan Prescott and transition tag Cooper.
Here is a look at Cooper, who has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in four of his five NFL seasons, after watching three of his games with Dallas:
About Cooper
Age: 25. Height/weight: 6-foot-1/210 pounds.
Background: Played at Alabama and was 2015 fourth overall pick by Oakland. … Ran 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at 2015 scouting combine. … Traded to Dallas in October 2018 for 2019 first-round selection. … Among receivers since entering league, ranks 16th in catches (357), 11th in yards (5,097) and seventh in touchdowns (33). … Nineteen 100-yard games and 23 games of at least five catches. … Caught 79 passes for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019 (845 snaps). … In seven games against Broncos (all with Oakland), has 27 catches for 276 yards and two touchdowns.
Games watched: January 2019 wild card vs. Seattle (seven catches for 106 yards in win), Week 5 2019 vs. Green Bay (11 catches for 226 yards and one touchdown in loss) and Week 16 2019 at Philadelphia (four catches for 24 yards in loss).
Game notes
Catches by where he lined up in the three games (22) — wide right (10), wide left (four), slot right (four), slot left (two), stack left (one) and stack right (one).
Seattle: First catch went for 14 yards on out route against Shaquill Griffin in trail coverage. … Showed good awareness on a 9yard catch. Ran stop route before re-grouping into out pattern when Prescott was forced to scramble. … Gained 11 yards postcatch (15) after missed tackle. … Catches of 34 and 27 yards in fourth quarter. On first, middle of field opened up (tight end ran down right seam). On second, lined up slot right and used quick outside juke move to get Justin Coleman turned around and easily get open on over route. … In all three games, what stood out is Cooper’s body control — can get in and out of his routes quickly and can instantly hit brakes while opponent is still backpedaling.
Green Bay: Cooper worked over cornerback Jaire Alexander. … Gained 46 after motioning to wide right and using out-and-up move to easily get open (18 yards post-catch). … Gained 24 on postcorner type of route vs. off coverage. … His 27-yard catch was created by initial inside step to set up go route. … Scored 53-yard touchdown with slant-and-go (30 yards postcatch) that included two missed tackles. … Caught three passes after being used in motion.
Philadelphia: Cooper was targeted 12 times, but had only four catches (all for 6 yards). So what happened? Tight man coverage and some off throws by Prescott. … In first quarter, was covered by safety Malcolm Jenkins on thirddown crossing route (pass breakup) and cornerback Jalen Mills on second-down in-breaking route (pass break-up on an iffy throw). … In third quarter, was covered well by cornerback Rasul Douglas on fade route (throw out of bounds), was held up by Douglas trying to run slant and got open against zone coverage, but Prescott overthrew him.
Case for signing …
Cooper is still a young player (turns 26 on June 17) and is durable, having missed only three games. Cooper would allow Sutton to play without safety-overthe-top attention and, conversely, also take advantage underneath if Sutton is running “go” routes to draw the safety help. Cooper could be a boon for second-year tight end Noah Fant and a slot receiver to be named.
Case against signing …
How much do the Broncos want to spend? Spotrac projects Cooper receiving a five-year, $98.6 million contract ($19.7 million average). The Broncos could draft a receiver 15th overall, and his entire four-year deal would be less than $15 million. And does Cooper have the speed component the Broncos are believed to be interested in? The game tape suggests he is more apt to stretch defenses horizontally instead of vertically.
Tuesday: New England guard Joe Thuney.