Two NFL teams made trades to upgrade at wide receiver, and it shows the Cowboys overbid for Amari Cooper
- Two trades for wide receivers in the NFL on Thursday brought up further questions about the Dallas Cowboys' trade for Amari Cooper.
- The Cowboys traded a first-round draft pick for Cooper while Demaryius Thomas and Golden Tate were traded for a fourth- and a third-round pick, respectively.
- While the price for Cooper was higher because he's younger, some have questioned if the Cowboys overbid for Cooper or got the best deal possible.
NFL teams on Tuesday continued to pursue upgrades at wide receiver ahead of the trade deadline.
The Houston Texans traded a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos for Demaryius Thomas while the Philadelphia Eagles traded a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions for Golden Tate.
While both moves improved teams who needed wide receivers - the Texans, in need of a receiver after Will Fuller's torn ACL, and the Eagles in need of more speed in their passing game - the big takeaway was that the Dallas Cowboys might have overpaid for Amari Cooper one week ago.
No team was as desperate for a receiver as the Cowboys, and it showed in their deal with the Oakland Raiders. The Cowboys agreed to send a first-round pick to the Raiders for Cooper, a talented, fourth-year receiver who had fallen off over the last year-plus in Oakland.
The move was heralded as a win for the Raiders, but the Cowboys were questioned. Sure, they needed to give Dak Prescott more help, but was Cooper worth perhaps the most valuable asset in football?
Tuesday's trades only reinforced that idea. If Tate and Thomas - two solid veteran receivers - fetched mid-round picks, could Cooper have been had for less? Clarence Hill of The Star-Telegram seemed to suggest the Cowboys were forced to up their offer.
The price for Cooper was always going to be higher than Tate and Thomas. Cooper is only 24 and has a contract option for next season while Tate and Thomas are both 30, with Tate hitting free agency next offseason.
However, The Ringer's Kevin Clark argued at the time of the trade that if the Cowboys were willing to trade a first-round pick, they could have done better than Cooper.
The big question for the Cowboys is which Cooper they will get. In his first two seasons, Cooper topped 1,000 receiving yards, totaled 11 touchdowns, and made two All-Pro teams. Last season, Cooper suddenly dropped off, gaining only 680 yards and 7 touchdowns (3 of which came in one game). This year, he was catching 68% of his passes in Oakland, he saw inconsistent targets, and was averaging a career-low in yards per game.
Given his age and status (he was the fourth overall pick in 2015), Cooper is deemed more valuable than players like Tate and Thomas. Nonetheless, it's fair to question if the Cowboys got the best deal they could have, particularly in light of Tuesday's trades.