A week ago, rumors started circulating that the Oakland Raiders were looking to trade wide receiver Amari Cooper and safety Karl Joseph, among others. This past weekend, there were reports the Raiders were ready to deal anybody if the price was right.
It looks like we have the first deal. The Raiders are trading Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson. It appears to be for a first round pick, according to Adam Schefter. That’s a steep price, but he is a significant upgrade to their wide receiver depth chart. Their leading pass catcher is Cole Beasley, with 33 receptions for 350 yards and two touchdowns. It’s been a mess in Dallas, and while some blame rests on Dak Prescott’s shoulders, some rests on the personnel department.
Cooper is on track to surpass his numbers last season, but would fall well short of his first two seasons, when he had back-to-back seasons over 70 catches and 1,000 yards. Derek Carr has been a mess of late, and the Raiders as a whole are a disaster this season.
The San Francisco 49ers need help at wide receiver, but a first round pick in 2019 would not make any sense given how high the pick is likely to be. The Raiders now have three first round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft: their own pick, and those of the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears (Khalil Mack). Considering they’ll already be drafting near the top, they have some serious options.