Why the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott-Amari Cooper connection is already clicking
The addition of Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys’ offense has clearly been a difference maker.
Even if that difference is only making a bad offense into an average offense, Cooper’s ability to get open has been a huge tonic for quarterback Dak Prescott.
In Cooper’s two games with the Cowboys, Prescott has had his two best completion percentage games this season and two of his top four QB ratings.
Cooper has shown why he was a fourth overall pick out of Alabama in the 2015 draft. He has a knack for getting separation with crisp routes and an instinctive release to the ball that helps him provide a safe target for Prescott.
That has been a boost for Prescott, who has often struggled with consistent pinpoint accuracy.
“One thing about the receiver-quarterback relationship is it’s a symbiotic relationship,” Cooper said. “I try to make his job as easy as possible.
“My way of doing that is getting as much separation as possible so he can literally throw it anywhere in my vicinity and it’ll still be considered a good throw. His job is the inverse of that. If I’m not getting wide open, he has to be as precise as possible.”
More times than not, however, Cooper has been open for the Cowboys. He’s been targeted 18 times and has 11 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. The key to get separation, he says, is deception.
“You have to be able to set a guy up. You have to make him think you’re running a different route than you’re actually running,” he said.
Rookie receiver Michael Gallup is watching and learning.
“The first time I saw him run a slant I was like, ‘I need to learn how to do that,’” Gallup said. “He just broke off the guy so bad. It was like, ‘Why I can’t do that?’ I’m definitely learning things from him, even if he doesn’t know it. I’m always watching. I like to do that.”
Cooper has helped draw attention away from Gallup and Cole Beasley and free up some of the tackle box for Ezekiel Elliott. Cooper, so far, is providing the kind of presence a No. 1 receiver is supposed to bring.
Which begs the question: Why did the Cowboys come out of training camp without one again? But we digress.
“It definitely attracts a lot of attention to his side so it’s good for me,” Gallup said. “The safety shades to his side.
You can see when we watch film. It opens up doors for all the other wide outs so its good for us.”
He’s good for all of them, especially Prescott.
“I always knew he was a really good player. I’ve gotten to know him as a person and I can see how resilient he is, how competitive he is, and how driven he is,” Cooper said.