A New Report Connects Cowboys' Free-Agent WR Amari Cooper to Broncos
The Denver Broncos are going to have the means to be players in this year's free agency sweepstakes. Thanks to 104.3 the FAN's Cecil Lammey, we know the Broncos plan to make Dallas Cowboys' free-agent CB Byron Jones a top priority in March.
However, Jones might not be the only ex-Cowboy on the Broncos' radar. CBS Sports' Patrik Walker speculated on Friday that if WR Amari Cooper is allowed to hit the market and is not either franchise- or transition-tagged by Dallas, the Broncos would be among the 'stronger suitors' for his services.
So while the Giants make sense, it's only if they move on from [Golden] Tate, and that's why stronger suitors would be the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. The Bills enjoyed a resurgent year from Cooper's former teammate, Cole Beasley, and adding Cooper opposite the speedy John Brown would be a lethal set of receiving weapons for Josh Allen. The Broncos loved the 1,000-yard season they got from Courtland Sutton in 2019, but the loss of Emmanuel Sanders created a void Cooper instantly fills and signing him would help ensure Drew Lock has a breakout sophomore campaign.
It's worth noting that Walker is a long-tenured Cowboys beat writer, very plugged into all things Dallas but he's not connected in Denver. He might have picked up some buzz from talking to people around the league, and this might be 'educated speculation' but it's not very plausible considering what we've heard about the Broncos' pursuits elsewhere.
Don't get me wrong, we know the Broncos covet speed in their new offense with Pat Shurmur at the head. And as good as Cooper is, he's going to command a max contract.
How many max contracts can the Broncos feasibly afford to hand out, even with a projected $62 million in cap space? Justin Simmons? Max contract. The aforementioned Byron Jones? Max contract. Chris Harris, Jr. (if re-signed), max contract.
That's to say nothing of the defensive line, which right now is gaping hole of inexperience for the Broncos. The most connected insider at Dove Valley is 9NEWS' Mike Klis, and just last week he said the Broncos will spend most of their free-agent dollars on the defensive side of the ball and utilize the draft to finish building an offense.
With a bonafide WR1 already under contract in Courtland Sutton, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for the Broncos to splurge on Cooper, especially in a draft that features what many to believe is the best wide receiver class in NFL history.
Spotrac has Cooper's value on the open market set at $19,717,916 per year. Yeah, that's approaching quarterback money.
Cooper is just 25 years old and he was the engine that opened up that Cowboys' offense last year. He's coming off a season in which he hauled in 79 passes for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns.
I can understand how a team could fall in love with Cooper and be willing to lay out that kind of cash but it would take the right situation. Suffice to say, I'm extremely dubious that the Broncos are that situation.
Never say never, but I'm more inclined to chalk this one up to a national writer not getting past the surface circumstances of the local level, and not being plugged into all the buzz and smoke that's been wafting up from Dove Valley since the offseason began.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
