It’s safe to say that no one associated with the Dallas Cowboys wants to lose Amari Cooper. Jerry Jones doesn’t want to see it, Mike McCarthy doesn’t, I don’t, and you probably don’t want to either. The wideout has even said he wants to be a Dallas Cowboy for life.

Cooper is a top-10 WR in the entire league and has developed a nice chemistry with Dak Prescott in the one and a half seasons they been together. In 25 games, the duo has connected on 132 passes for 1,914 receiving yards and 14 TDs. Cooper is a phenomenal route-runner who dictates coverage and makes life easier for the rest of his teammates.

Here's how the #Cowboys fared with and without Amari Cooper on the field in 2019.



I'd say he's pretty important. pic.twitter.com/6w4qUWkqfm — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 5, 2020

Moreover, without Cooper on the field, the Cowboys are a vastly inferior team, posting subpar numbers (see in the above tweet) in almost every major category when Cooper isn’t on the field.

However, each day that goes by without a new contract for Prescott and Cooper raises the chances that the Cowboys may lose their star WR. The potential for a new CBA muddies the waters even more. The NFL Players Association is currently voting on whether to ratify the new CBA and voting ends at 11:59 PM EST on March 12.

If the new CBA isn’t ratified, it makes the Cowboys’ job easy — just use the franchise tag on Dak Prescott and the transition tag on Amari Cooper, or vice-versa, if a contract extension isn’t agreed to free agency by the tag deadline, which could potentially be extended because of the NFLPA’s vote on the CBA.

If the new CBA is ratified, Dallas’ job becomes much harder because it means the team would lose the ability to transition tag Prescott or Cooper. The Cowboys are never, I repeat, NEVER going to let Prescott hit the open market, so if no contracts are agreed to, Cooper will be available on the open market.

Moreover, there appears to be little incentive for Cooper to agree to a contract extension before free agency unless the Cowboys knock his socks off. Why agree to a new contract just a handful of days before his leveraged is maximized? And who knows what his asking price could evolve to in the bidding war that would commence for his services.

Jerry Jones does not often lose out on players that he wants to keep, but the unique circumstances surrounding Cooper in this situation make it a real possibility.

Therefore, the Cowboys need a contingency plan in place just in case their worst fears are imagined and the team loses Cooper in free agency.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top targets to replace Cooper if he departs for a couple Brinks trucks worth cash.

Robby Anderson

Let’s just get this out of the way quickly: No one the Cowboys find on the open market will come close to the combination of age and skill of Cooper, who is still just 25 years old, which is why Dallas needs to do everything in its power to keep him.

Nonetheless, former New York Jets WR Robby Anderson is as close as you’re going to get. Anderson is still young (he’ll be 27 by training camp) and should come at a steep discount when compared to Cooper.

Over The Cap projects Cooper will receive something close to $20 million per year. However, Anderson is only projected $13.13 million per year, meaning he would save Dallas upwards of $28 million on a four-year deal, which gives the Cowboys more flexibility to add players in the future.

The Cowboys are all too familiar with Anderson’s skill, as he put up five catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ stunning Week 6 victory over the Cowboys. Overall, Anderson finished with 52 receptions for 779 yards and five touchdowns in 2019.

Anderson’s trump card is his ability to stretch the defense and win vertically with his 4.36 speed. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Anderson shows an ability to beat press coverage and separate with deep speed vertically. In 2019, Anderson caught all nine of his catchable targets on passes 20-plus yards down the field, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Anderson also possesses very good hands, as he’s dropped just three passes in each of the last two seasons. The Cowboys led the NFL in drops at the receiver position, so it would be helpful to bring in some consistent hands to the receiver corps if they can’t keep Cooper.

Nonetheless, there is a great deal of risk giving a receiver $13 million per year who has never had more than 1,000 receiving yards or seven touchdowns. Moreover, Anderson does come with some baggage, as he was arrested twice in 2018, and has been known to get frustrated (like most WRs) when he’s not getting the ball.

He’s no Amari Cooper, but the Cowboys could certainly do worse than signing Anderson on the open market.

Emmanuel Sanders

Finding a No. 1 WR in free agency this year will be extremely difficult. It was made even more difficult by the report that the Cincinnati Bengals plan to franchise tag AJ Green, who could have been a top target for the Cowboys if they lose Cooper.

Nonetheless, with Green likely off the market, the Cowboys would have to shift their attention toward a receiver like Emmanuel Sanders, who would be best suited as a No. 2 WR but has enough skill to be an acceptable No. 1 option.

Sanders will be 33 by the time camp rolls around, which means that he’d only be a short-term solution. Best-case scenario is that he provides a bridge until Michael Gallup has developed enough to step into the No. 1 WR role. He’s not there yet, but the strides he took in 2019 indicate that’s not out of the realm of realistic possibilities.

Still, in terms of the short term, Sanders would provide Prescott with a reliable threat who can provide consistent production throughout the season. Even though his athleticism has waned a tad with injuries and age, Sanders’ route-running ability has allowed his game to age like a fine wine.

Sanders has the ability to beat press and win outside, and he’s one of the tougher covers in the slot as well. The Cowboys could find a lot of success moving Sanders around the formation to create mismatches against the weak link in opposing secondaries.

While it may be tough to pay $10 million per year, as Over The Cap projects, to a soon to be 33-year-old receiver, he still comes at a huge discount when compared to Cooper while providing an effective short-term solution for the Cowboys.

The first round of the draft

With the dearth of No. 1 targets in free agency, the Cowboys could opt to just look for their future No. 1 WR in the first round of the NFL draft.

The Cowboys could easily combine drafting a receiver in the first round with signing an older vet, such as Sanders, to provide a bridge until the first-round receiver is ready to step into a No. 1 role.

Luckily for Dallas, the first round has a few receivers with potential to develop into a No. 1 receiver down the road:

Jerry Jeudy’s releases and route stems are so much fun to watch. Ridiculous amounts of body twitch. pic.twitter.com/Pc8Q0U9v2n — Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) January 8, 2020

Jerry Jeudy, Alabama: The best route-runner in the class, Jeudy’s game is tailor-made for the NFL. Jeudy is the unique type of receiver who could step into a No. 1 role right away — that’s how developed he is as a route runner.

His routes utilize a great deal of nuance and deception, which he complements with an Odell Beckham-like ability to accelerate out of his breaks to gain separation.

He’s a monster from the slot, where he’s afforded a two-way go. He’s also regarded as a hard worker who will continue to hone his craft once he reaches the NFL.

Just a reminder that CeeDee Lamb is a problem after the catch 😳



(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/s2HI38O14o — The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 5, 2020

CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma: Lamb is the other WR in this class who could potentially step into a No. 1 WR role from the jump.

He’s not quite the route-runner that Jeudy is, but he’s much more dominant at the catch point and better after the catch, averaging an absurd 11 yards after the catch while forcing 26 missed tackle (second among WRs, per PFF). Lamb is a playmaker in every sense of the word.

This route by Henry Ruggs is *kisses fingers*



Gives Fulton a stutter and stick outside to win an inside release. Sells the post with eyes/hips then quickly whips back around to the out to gain separation. He had Fulton from the moment he won the inside release. pic.twitter.com/a5ZDaEgbtA — John Owning (@JohnOwning) February 16, 2020

Henry Ruggs III, Alabama: At 6-foot and 190 pounds with 4.27 speed, Ruggs is the preeminent deep threat in this year’s draft class. Don’t get it twisted though: Ruggs is a well-rounded receiver who can win in a myriad of areas.

Many talk about Ruggs’ ability to stretch the defense and win vertically, but he was actually even more potent on intermediate passes at Alabama, averaging 26.5 yards per catch and 15.2 yards per reception in the process on slants, crossers and in-breaking routes in 2019, per PFF.

His ball skills are also great, posting just one drop in 2019. Despite his size, Ruggs’ 42-inch vertical also allows him to make plays above the rim in contested catch situations. His presence would definitely make the Cowboys more explosive on offense.

Monster grab in a contested catch situation by Denzel Mims. pic.twitter.com/O1yMVO8toP — John Owning (@JohnOwning) February 25, 2020

Denzel Mims, Baylor: If the first three are off the board when the Cowboys go on the clock at pick No. 17, then they could potentially trade back to gain more picks and select Mims, who is currently tracking as a late first to early second-round pick. Mims is an Alpha receiver showcasing impressive route-running and outstanding ball skills (though he does have a problem with concentration drops).

At 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds with 4.38 speed, Mims is a legitimate vertical threat who also has the physicality and route-running nuance to be effective in short-to-intermediate areas as well. He’s also a very good blocker for the position.

While drafting a receiver in the first round to replace Cooper would sacrifice effectiveness and production in the short-term, it could have long term benefits because of age and how cheap rookie contracts are.

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