Dallas Cowboys

Who won the Amari Cooper trade? Skip, Cowherd and Nick Wright give conflicting takes

Published Oct. 23, 2018 4:25 p.m. ET

It's not very often a trade featuring a Pro Bowl caliber talent can be seen as a win for everyone involved, but that may just be what happened Monday. The Dallas Cowboys traded a 1st round pick to the Oakland Raiders for 24-year-old wide receiver Amari Cooper and there appears to be no consensus of the clear victor of the trade. Could that mean it's a win for everyone? Hear this out...

Case for the Cowboys

The Cowboys rank 29th in the NFL in pass yards per game (183) and are tied for 25th with only eight passing touchdowns. Their leading receiver, Cole Beasley, has just 350 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Beasley's career-high for TDs in a season is five (twice-- 2015 & 2016). Contrastingly, their rush attack is ranked 3rd in the league in YPG (136.9) led by one of the most talented backs in the game, Ezekiel Elliott, and one of the league's best offensive lines. They needed help in the receiving corp and in Cooper they are getting just that. Although his numbers have decreased in his fourth season, Cooper remains an explosive target on every snap. During his first three years-- the first two of which Cooper was selected to the Pro Bowl-- Cooper's lowest TD total was five and last season he had a career-high seven. This year, Cooper has only one TD and 280 yards, but he's also on pace to finish well-below his career mark for targets (he finished with 130+ his first two seasons and just 96 last season. Currently, he's on pace for only 85 this season). Seeing the talent still remaining in the tank, Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless are thrilled with 'America's team' going out on a limb to drop a prospective first-rounder for a tangible option.

Case for the Raiders

Jon Gruden refuses to admit Oakland is tanking, but in essence, they have every reason not to want to win right now. After dealing both of their once top dogs **cough, cough Khalil Mack**, the Black Hole now controls three first round picks in this year's draft and no lingering contracts that are going to require massive paydays during the offseason. As evident through the numbers, Cooper was not fitting into the new offensive scheme Gruden has established and picking up a first rounder after initial bidding started with a fourth rounder is a steal. As Nick Wright points out, sometimes the best way to improve in pro sports is ripping the foundation apart and starting from scratch. As the franchise prepares to quite literally rip apart its foundation and move to Las Vegas, doing the same thing with the roster seems like the plausible next move.

Case for Amari Cooper

The former 4th-overall pick is clearly in need for a career-rejuvenating move and where better to do it than Jerry World? Elliott's presence in the run game alleviates the attention Cooper would garner outside in a way he's never had before and having the opportunity to regain the notion of the top receiver in the corp could go a long way in terms of confidence. He has shown his ability to still be a reliable target (boasting a 70.97 catch percentage compared to last year's 50), but he has not been given the same chances. If he stays healthy, this change of scenery could be just what he needs to return to Pro Bowl status and get the fans trading in their old No. 88 jerseys for No. 89 in Dallas.

https://www.foxsports.com/west/story/amari-cooper-traded-from-oakland-raiders-to-dallas-cowboys-102218

So who won and who lost the trade? You'll have to wait a couple seasons to find out. In the meantime, better start counting how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.