The next step in the offseason phase is about to begin later this month, as all 32 NFL teams will be reporting to training camp.
The Dallas Cowboys will kick off camp in Oxnard, California, with rookies reporting on July 21 and veterans on July 22. Training camp is a great opportunity for new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer to get a closer look at which players will make the 53-man roster at the end of August.
On the other hand, several former Cowboys players are still available in free agency. A lot of these players haven’t received much interest this offseason, despite the things they might’ve done in the past or last season.
Ex-Cowboys WR Amari Cooper Deserves to Be Signed After a Down 2024 Season
For example, you understand why Ezekiel Elliott didn’t get a lot of interest as he looked like a shell of himself in 2024. However, veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper could still help a couple of WR-needy teams after a down 2024 season.
The ex-Cowboys pass catcher began last season with the Cleveland Browns, where he had back-to-back 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons in his first two years. However, things did not start well for Cooper.
In his first six games last season, the veteran wideout had 24 receptions (53 targets) for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Now, it wasn’t all his fault, as the Browns were one of the worst scoring offenses in the NFL.
However, Cooper’s drop-off in production caught everyone off guard as he only averaged 10.4 yards per reception and 2.4 yards after the catch per reception, both career lows. He also had a drop issue that reared its ugly head (10).
In his previous two years with the Browns, Cooper only had 19 drops combined. After getting off to a rocky start, the Browns shipped the ex-Cowboy to the Buffalo Bills. One would believe that things would turn around for Cooper as the Bills don’t have a clear-cut WR1.
But he was just another guy in Buffalo, racking up 20 receptions (32 targets) for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight regular season games. Cooper was never a guy who would blow you away with his speed, but his route running and ability to get open made him a quarterback’s best friend, whether he was playing in Dallas, Oakland, or Cleveland.
If the Cowboys didn’t have George Pickens, you could’ve made a case for Dallas to consider a reunion with Cooper, who had two 1,000-yard-plus receiving campaigns in 2019 and 2020.
But with Pickens in the fold, the Cowboys are okay with Jalen Tolbert manning the WR3 job and seeing what else they can get from their other WRs. However, not every team is the Cowboys with two exciting WRs. Cooper could easily start on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans.
At the same time, if those teams aren’t calling, he can’t force his way there. Therefore, Cooper will have to wait to see if an opportunity appears in the coming days and weeks.