OXNARD, CALIF.- “I want this to be the best season I’ve ever had playing football.”
Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Amari Cooper has vocalized his goals and now the preparation begins towards accomplishing them. This season, Dallas’ No.1 receiver is striving for more than another 1,000-yard year. Following ankle surgery in January, the time away from the game undergoing rehab has produced a greater hunger in Cooper to excel on the gridiron. The Alabama product was recently activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and the work, albeit limited reps, begins now.
“I’ve been rehabbing so hard,” Cooper told reporters. “Just trying to be the best Amari Cooper that I can be, trying to be better than I’ve ever been. I’ve been talking to myself a lot lately about how I want this year to be different than any year that I’ve played football.”
No rigorous throwing for quarterback Dak Prescott coming off a right shoulder strain or deep routes for Amari Cooper being worked back into the mix but seeing the two participate in a workout was a welcome sight for fans. Definitely, a step in the right direction as training camp continues. Currently, Cooper is being kept to individual drills and warmups with Prescott, running intermediate and short routes, mostly limited to 5-20 yards.
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore described his return as a “step-by-step” process.
“I think it’s kind of a step-by-step process. I don’t get too involved with that honestly. That’s Britt [Brown], Jim [Mauer], those guys taking the step-by-step process, and when he becomes available for whatever team aspects, we’ll pop him right in there and go… I think right now nothing has really changed from that perspective. I think we feel great about where Amari is at. Obviously as he gets out on the field a little bit more and more, we’ll make whatever adjustments and tweaks we need to make. But Amari is a big-time player like we all expect.”
Cooper had surgery to remove “loose spurs” in his ankle that “jammed” his foot and limited flexibility. Once the spurs were taken out, another injury was brought to light that setback his recovery process. The surgery and renewed limberness revealed a previous bone inflammation in the right foot that had been masked by the spurs. Surgery healed the first and rest/Vitamin D cured the inflammation, according to Cooper, which resulted in a longer-than-anticipated return.
Now, the fluid route runner is back but the staff and trainers are exercising caution as he progresses. His quick acceleration in-and-out of breaks has propelled Cooper to one of the top players across the league at his position. In 2020 for the Cowboys, Cooper eclipsed the 1,000-yard marker (1,114) and notched the most receptions of his career (92), despite a revolving door at quarterback and an offensive line decimated by injuries. Gone are the days of the “road game splits” narrative that became synonymous with the four-time pro bowler in 2019.
With a hopeful clean bill of health for Cooper in Week 1, along with a healthy Dak Prescott and bolstered offensive line, the sky is the limit for No. 19 entering Year 7 in the league.
“I think Amari is just explosive,” Kellen Moore stressed. “When he’s decisive at the line of scrimmage, he can take care of anyone; just go.”
With his suddenness, Cooper is the type of game-changing playmaker that forces defenses to keep a safety deep for help. His release off the line and body control are rare. At the inception of a new season, excitement builds on Amari Cooper. With the combination of Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup, Dallas arguably has the most lethal WR corps in the NFL. Defensive coordinators will have to pick their poison on gameday, and Cooper ignites the unit.
