Amari Cooper set career-highs in yards, touchdowns, and yards per catch in 2019 which led to the Dallas Cowboys signing him to a five-year, $100 million dollar deal with $60 million in guaranteed money back in March. Of course, when that kind of cash gets dealt out the expectations are through the roof, and rightfully so.
He was on pace to shatter his production from last season in the first four games (100.3 yards per game) until Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. Cooper has played with three other quarterbacks since but he still managed to reach a milestone against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. For the fifth time in six seasons, he went over the 1,000-yard mark.
He reached this accomplishment on the Cowboy's longest play of the game. On a second down early in the third quarter, Cooper puts Michael Jacquet on his career highlight tape by making him lose his balance with a fake to the outside before taking a slant route 69 yards that set up a field goal to increase the Cowboys lead to 30-17.
Amari Cooper gets movin' for 69 yards! #DallasCowboys
📺: #PHIvsDAL on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/BVP8uIyKIx pic.twitter.com/5mdoeNv8bi— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020
Cooper would also add another accomplishment to his resume. His four receptions against the Eagles gave him 86 for the season and set a new career-high.
The isn't the first time Cooper has torched the Eagles in Arlington. Since joining the Cowboys midway through the 2018 season, Cooper has amassed 19 receptions for 444 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium, and the Cowboys have won them all.
Even with the aforementioned Prescott on the shelf, Cooper has managed to stay productive. That means he's built some chemistry with Andy Dalton which he acknowledged after the Cowboy's big win in Week 16.
“I would just attribute it to repetition,'' Cooper said, via the Dallas Morning News. “When Dak first went down obviously, the first team guys at receiver we hadn't had much experience with Andy. But since then obviously he's been taking all the first-team reps and we've just been able to learn each other _ the way he likes to throw the ball and obviously he's been able to learn the way we like to run our routes.
“So, that's what I would attribute it to, I would attribute it to just the repetition.”
The Cowboys need one more big performance from Cooper this Sunday with a potential NFC East title on the horizon. Whether or not that comes to fruition, Cooper has proven that every penny spent on him during the offseason was well worth it.
