Cowboys Trade of Amari Cooper 'Cost Dallas a Super Bowl!' - Fox Critics

The Dallas Cowboys lost the chance to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LVII not on the field but in the transaction log, according to this critic.

Despite a relatively impressive case, the Dallas Cowboys bid for a sixth Super Bowl in Glendale was over before it ever really began, a former elite receiver claims.

Appearing on Fox Sports' "Carton Show," two-time Pro Bowler and 2010-11 Super Bowl champion Greg Jennings said that the Cowboys' immediate Super Bowl window closed once they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. Cooper, himself a lauded all-star to the tune of four Pro Bowl invites, was dealt to the Browns for the paltry price of a fifth-round pick and sixth-round swap.

"Trading Amari Cooper cost the Cowboys a Super Bowl."

— @GregJennings 😳 pic.twitter.com/fsKa5SFSDG

— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) April 11, 2023

"If you wanted a Super Bowl, you gave it away," Jennings says over the protests of eponymous host Craig Carton. "What did Dak Prescott look like when Amari Cooper was out wide at receiver? ... What was the main reason the Dallas Cowboys struggled last year? ... Need I say more?"

Without Cooper, Dallas went 12-5 but missed out on another NFC East division title thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl run. The Cowboys prevailed in the NFC Wild Card round against Tampa Bay but fell to San Francisco in the Divisional portion, denying them an NFC title game appearance for the 27th consecutive season. 

While Carton tries to blame Prescott for Dallas' shortcomings, namely his league-leading total of 15 interceptions, he does admit that the team suffered from wide receiver depth ... or lack thereof. Cooper posted 3,893 yards and 27 touchdown catches over parts of four seasons with Dallas after coming over in a 2018 trade with the Oakland Raiders. 

Jennings does acknowledge that the Cowboys addressed their depth issues by through another affordable trade, this one for former Houston Texans playmaker Brandin Cooks. He implies, however, that Cooper would have more upside. 

His first season in Cleveland saw him post some of the best numbers of his career, tallying 1,160 yards and a career-best nine scores despite working with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett for most of the year while Deshaun Watson served a suspension. Though Dallas enjoyed a breakout year from CeeDee Lamb in his first season as the primary aerial option, no one else on the Cowboys roster came close to matching what Cooper did in Ohio. 

Though the Cowboys lost their top two receivers behind Lamb (Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown), they brought in Cooks after three seasons in Houston and have reportedly not ruled out further improvements to the aerial game at the upcoming NFL Draft.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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