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The Dallas Cowboys are on a small list of teams that most agree took a big step back in 2022. While most fans claim their teams got better through the draft, free agency and trades, many think that the Cowboys didn't. This offseason, Dallas lost key players in Connor Williams, Randy Gregory, La'el Collins, and Amari Cooper. This exodus has left many people scratching their heads as to how this has happened.
One NFL analyst thinks that the reasons for losing at least one player was somewhat personal. Speaking on Undisputed, NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe linked the loss of Amari Cooper to the Colin Kaepernick controversy. Here's how he put it:
"For the very first time, there was a player on Jerry Jones' roster that openly and defiantly said, 'I'm not doing what the hell you tell me to do.' Do you remember Jerry Jones with the Colin Kaepernick protests?"
He continued, saying that Cooper spoke against him and once that stance was taken, his days were essentially numbered in Dallas:
"Jerry Jones said, 'Dallas Cowboys players will stand at attention. They will have their hands over their hearts.' Amari Cooper said, 'I ain't getting no damn shot. And Jerry never forgave him for it."
The receiver was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2022 fifth- and sixth-round pick. Dallas traded their own sixth-round pick to the Browns as part of the deal.
Amari Cooper's career with the Dallas Cowboys
While Amari Cooper has spent a sizable chunk of his career in Dallas, his career did not start there. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2015 with the fourth overall pick. It was an effort by the Raiders to surround Derek Carr with the best weapons available.
While he showed plenty of promise in his first two seasons, racking up 2,223 yards and 11 touchdowns, he also earned a reputation for dropping the ball in tough moments.
The 2017 season was a tough year in this regard, and though he caught seven touchdowns and 680 yards, the Raiders traded him the following season.
At the time, the Cowboys lacked options at the wide receiver position and traded for Cooper midway through the 2018 season. The move seemed to work well, with the receiver recording 725 yards and six touchdowns during the nine games he played for Dallas that season.
In 2019 and 2020 he continued to impress. He recorded 2,203 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns during those two seasons.
When CeeDee Lamb entered the picture in 2021, Cooper seemed to take a step back. Though he earned 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns months later.
The Browns were more than happy to add a talented receiver like Cooper to their offense. Now alongside players like Deshaun Watson and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Cooper will doubtless prove to be an asset as Cleveland look to make a push for the Super Bowl.
