Trading Amari Cooper will be the fall of Dak Prescott

Wide Receiver Amari Cooper leaps over defender for the game winning touchdown against The Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. (Getty Images Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Saturday, March 12, The Dallas Cowboys shocked The NFL world by trading away their star wide receiver 27-year-old Amari Cooper to The Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round draft pick. On the surface this is a good move for Dallas. They are over cap space and Cooper is a $20 million cap casualty for the upcoming season. Trading Cooper and his contract to Cleveland paves the way for Dallas to re-sign another young wide receiver Michael Gallup for a lot less. This allows Dallas to retain a potential star with Gallup and creates cap space. However, just below the surface is the downfall of franchise quarterback Dak Prescott in the upcoming 2022-23 season.  

Let's hop in the DeLorean and go back in time for a minute. The year is 2018, it is late Sunday night, Oct. 21, Dallas has just come off another heartbreaking loss to then Washington Redskins falling to a record of 3-4. Dallas's hopes of a playoff birth are in jeopardy and no one is getting more blame for the struggles of the team and offense than quarterback Dak Prescott. After another poor performance against Washington on Sunday, doubters are starting to question whether the Mississippi State gunslinger can lead this franchise. The water is only getting hotter for Prescott after a disappointing campaign the year prior in the 2017 season in which he had a career high, 16 turnovers. The once promising young quarterback began to crack and seemed like a far cry away from a former 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. ​

Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper run off the field after scoring a touchdown against The New York Giants at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. (Getty Images Photo/Richard Rodriguez)

On Oct. 22, the following morning, Dallas gained hope as they traded their 2019 first-round draft pick to the then Oakland Raiders for Cooper. Dallas led by Prescott quickly turned the season around, finished 10-6 and even won a playoff game. More importantly, the Cooper trade pivoted Prescott’s career making him one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL since. Cooper’s presence and production in Dallas saved Prescott’s career. Now let's, take a deeper look into the numbers that matter most, wins.
  
Outside of Prescott’s phenomenal rookie season he has a horrendous record of 12-13 without Cooper in his career but posts a robust 28-16 record with Cooper. The biggest reason for this dramatic shift in Prescott’s record with and without Cooper is the extra 5.4 points per game Dallas scored when Cooper was on the field. It will be hard for Prescott to return to an elite level as his passing yards per game, touchdown to interception ratio, and passer rating are projected to decline without Cooper again.  ​

Quarterback Dak Prescott after turning it over on downs against The San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. (Brandon Wade/AP)

One year into his four year $160 million contract (the third highest paid quarterback in the NFL) he broke the single season passing record for a Dallas franchise quarterback. That record was broken with Cooper on the field this year. Without Cooper, Prescott is unlikely to repeat his regular season performance. Simply put, trading Cooper was an awful move for Dallas as the team appears to be falling apart.  
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This upcoming season Dallas will showcase a football team with a waning offensive line, an aging running back, a wide receiver returning after a torn ACL and a young wide receiver who only managed one catch in the playoffs. It looks like Prescott may have just lost the only crutch he had. With his seventh career season approaching, Prescott is under immense pressure to deliver. If Prescott stumbles after his recent success, Cooper’s departure from Dallas will be more than just a coincidental excuse for the team’s lack of performance. Is Prescott the agent of success for this franchise? His perceived proficiency will be tested with Cooper’s departure and will answer whether he is a stand-alone elite quarterback.  ​