Oakland Raiders: The curious, confounding case of Amari Cooper

The Oakland Raiders can kick the can down the road a bit, but they will have to make a big decision regarding their former first round pick, Amari Cooper.

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper has seemed to have the making of a star since he busted onto the scene after being taken fourth overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Speed to burn, silky smooth route running, the ability to make guys miss him in open space for extra yards after the catch – he seemed to have next-level skills.

Cooper only reinforced his burgeoning star power his first two seasons by hauling in 155 receptions for 2,223 yards and 11 touchdowns. For sure, after his first two years, Cooper was going to be one of those transcendent receivers who can lift an offense and help carry them to the promised land, right?

Then the disaster that was 2017 hit and some of that shine came off of him.

To ba fair, outside of Khalil Mack, nobody looked good in a Raiders uniform last season. Derek Carr, Michael Crabtree, Marshawn Lynch, Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington – yeah, the list goes on.

Carr’s struggles – and he struggled mightily in 2017 – directly impacted Cooper. After all, if your quarterback isn’t throwing the ball well, your receivers likely aren’t going to be in a good position to make the catches.

For the season, Cooper finished with 680 yards on 48 receptions, and had seven touchdowns. Cooper posted a pretty decent average of 14.2 yards per catch, although he posted a career worst 3.4 receptions per game and 48.6 yards per game.

However, the kid is dynamic. Explosive. He’s always a home run threat when he lines up. Surely, he’s headed for a huge payday worthy of a number one receiver when his rookie deal expires – right? Right?

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Yeah, let’s pump the brakes on that for a minute and talk about this.

Surely, picking up Cooper’s fifth-year option is a no-brainer. He’s done enough to warrant the payday that comes with that option. Plus, it will give the team time to evaluate whether or not Cooper should actually be paid like a number one.

Now, before you cue up the howls of outrage and unleash the torch and pitchfork wielding mob, take the emotion out of the equation and let’s look at some cold, hard facts. Because as they say, numbers don’t lie.

Cooper’s basic numbers through his first three seasons are good. Really good. 203 receptions for 2,903 yards and 18 total touchdowns. Good, right?

Yeah, at a first blush, those are good. If you’re averaging nearly 1,000 yards a season, that’s pretty good. Those are number one receiver type numbers, right?

Maybe. But then, if you actually dig a little deeper, you’ll see that there are some issues here. Issues that may make GM Reggie McKenzie balk at dropping number one type money on him. And if you take a critical, unemotional, and logical look at the numbers, you might be hard pressed to disagree with the decision.

Because, the truth is, that while the numbers look good on the surface, overall, Cooper hasn’t performed like the number one receiver most people tend to think he is. He’s good, there’s no question about it. Dynamic. Explosive.

He’s very, very good. But, to this point in his career, he’s not been great. Certainly not number one money great.

Consider two things before jumping on your soapbox of righteous indignation.

First is the issue of his drops. It’s a well chronicled issue, but one that continues to persist. As we all know, he led the league in drops his rookie season with 10. With a lot of hard work, he trimmed that number way back in 2016, and only had three – Crabtree led the team, and the league, with nine that year.

And yet last season, we saw a return of the butterfingers. Cooper dropped some passes at critical times that killed momentum – and this was a team that really couldn’t afford to have its offensive momentum killed.

After seeming to be on the right path in 2016, Cooper was again, near the top of the league in drops. Colts legend Reggie Wayne believes that his added bulk contributed to his dropped passes.

"“That can slow you down and make you a little stiff. I don’t think he ran his routes the same. He used to run great routes. This year he seemed like he was more of an 18-wheeler”"

It’s possible. Sure. But, Cooper’s problem with drops isn’t a new thing. It’s not something that cropped up overnight. It’s an issue that appeared when he was starring for the Crimson Tide.

Before the Draft, scouts noted that drops are an issue with Cooper – one largely overlooked because of his elite athleticism. It was little more than a footnote, but with three seasons of hindsight now under our belts, it seems worth noting.

"“Focus drops have been an issue at times, dropping 13 passes over the last two seasons.”"

Drops are an issue and will continue to be an issue until he solves the problem.