Eight days ago, Amari Cooper’s departure from Dallas felt imminent, which caught our attention for some obvious reasons. But there wasn’t any movement on that front, even as their need to get under the cap remained. Instead, the Cowboys were able to sneak under with some cuts on the periphery, as they continued dangling Cooper as a trade chip in an attempt to not lose him for nothing. And that’s exactly what happened.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Bears on the other end of the deal:
It's a 5th rounder going to Dallas and the two teams are swapping 6 rounders. https://t.co/LUfAijXZB8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2022
The Browns were needing to bolster their group of pass catchers. And to that end, trading for Cooper helps. Doing so at the cost of a fifth-round pick and swapping sixth rounders feels like a steal. Cooper is an established WR1 whose presence really helped elevate Dak Prescott’s game. And because of that, there was hope the Bears would be in this sweepstakes. Who wouldn’t want someone like Cooper to help Justin Fields out? Maybe the Bears did. Or maybe they were waiting it out to see if Cooper would hit free agency. In the end, it wasn’t meant to be.
The good news is that the Bears could still upgrade their receivers room via free agency and the draft. It just won’t come with someone who has a résumé like Cooper’s.