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Dallas Cowboys Amari Cooper plans preseason debut for Saturday

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•08/17/21•

ChandlerVessels

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Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper plans to play in Saturday’s preseason game against Houston, according to Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken. Cooper missed the Cowboys first two preseason games after undergoing ankle surgery this past January.

He told Gehlken he feels 100% healthy and will run the full route tree on Wednesday to gauge his readiness. Then, a final decision will be made.

“I’ve been rehabbing so hard,” Cooper said earlier this preseason. “Just trying to be the best Amari Cooper that I can be, trying to be better than I’ve ever been. I’ve been talking to myself a lot lately about how I want this year to be different than any year that I’ve played football.”

Amari Cooper was activated off the Dallas Cowboys PUP list this past week, indicating he could play in the preseason. He is coming off of a career-high 92 receptions last year. The four-time Pro Bowler led the Cowboys in receiving in both 2019 and 2020.

The receiver also played much of last season without starting quarterback Dak Prescott. The former Mississippi State Bulldog suffered an ankle injury in Week 5 and missed the rest of the season. Both Prescott and Cooper are healthy this season, which has many speculating this could be an explosive offense.

The Cowboys finished second in the NFL in passing offense during the duo’s first full season together in 2019. Dallas acquired Cooper from Oakland in a midseason trade in 2018. His willingness to undergo offseason surgery is in stark contrast with another star receiver in the league.

New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas put off his offseason surgery, causing him to miss time to start the season. NFL Network reported this past week the Saints star wanted a trade.

The Cowboys have to be happy with their receiver situation in comparison. Cooper seems dedicated to improving his game this year, plus Dallas also has talented second-year receiver CeeDee Lamb. It sounds like we could get a glance as early as Saturday’s preseason game as to how dangerous Amari Cooper and this Dallas Cowboys offense could be.