The Dallas Cowboys were able to re-sign Amari Cooper to a 5-year contract worth $100 million. This deal comes after Cooper said he did not want to leave Dallas. The Cowboys prioritized Cooper over Byron Jones. The truth of the matter is, Dallas had no choice but to keep Amari Cooper.
Dak Prescott has been night and day a different quarterback with and without Amari Cooper. Prescott really had a great 2019 season. 65 percent close to 5,000 yards with a 30 TD to 11 INT ratio. Before the Amari Cooper trade last year, it would have been fair to wonder if Dak was even a capable starter. This was the only move Dallas had to make.
2020 becomes a make or break season. What Dak Prescott do we get with Mike McCarthy? Is it more of the same since Kellen Moore remains the play caller? Does Dak still have more room to grow? All of those questions would have become a lot more difficult without Cooper.
The Cowboys now have work to do in the secondary. Losing Byron Jones is a huge loss. Anthony Brown is also a free agent. Both safety spots need to be upgraded and Chidobe Awuzie is the only reliable cornerback on the roster. Dallas also needs to replace Robert Quinn. The defense ranked 9th a year ago. They need some work to keep that same mark in 2019.
My overarching point is that this is what Dak Prescott needs to do. Franchise quarterbacks don’t need everything to win. It could be more shootouts for Dallas but that’s ok. Prescott has everything and more that he needs on offense. 2020 is the year we really find out what Dak Prescott is. Keeping Amari Cooper is the fold was the only decision that made sense.
