Amari Cooper's expectations for Cowboys offense are … super high

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Amari Cooper thinks the Cowboys are going to have a really good offense in 2020. Like, historically good. 

Last year, Cooper and Michael Gallup each went over 1,000 yards receiving and then the Cowboys took CeeDee Lamb with the 17th pick in the draft. 

Cooper’s expectations for 2020? They’re lofty to say the least. 

"You have to draft the best player on the board -- everybody understands that," Cooper said, via the Cowboys website. "I think he's a great receiver. And I think with me and Michael Gallup going for 1,000 yards last season, I think the expectation is to have three 1,000-yard receivers this year."

Three 1,000-yard receivers? That’s something that has been accomplished just a handful of times in NFL history. It has happened just five times to be exact, with the most recent time coming in 2008, when the Cardinals did it. 

Here’s a look at all five instances in NFL history: 

2008 Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald (96/1,431/12), Anquan Boldin (89/1,038/11), Steve Breaston (77/1,006/3)

2004 Indianapolis Colts: Marvin Harrison (86/1,113/15), Reggie Wayne (77/1,210/12), Brandon Stokley (68/1,077/10)

1995 Atlanta Falcons: Eric Metcalf (104/1,189/8), Terence Mathis (78/1,039/9), Bert Emanuel (74/1,039/5)

1989 Washington: Art Monk (86/1,186/8), Ricky Sanders (80/1,138/4), Gary Clark (79/1,229/9)

1980 San Diego Chargers: Kellen Winslow (89/1,290/9), John Jefferson (82/1,340/13), Charlie Joiner (71/1,132/4) 

While having three 1,000-yard receivers would be incredible, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a great team. While three of those five teams won their divisions, two missed the playoffs entirely. 

Still … is this really in play for the Cowboys? 

Well, last year, Cooper had 1,189 receiving yards, Gallup had 1,107 and Randall Cobb, who is now with the Texans, had 828. From a talent perspective, Lamb is an upgrade over Cobb, so I guess it’s possible. 

But as good as Lamb is, it’s also really tough for a rookie receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards, even when a pandemic hasn’t canceled the entirety of spring workouts. Since 2015, just three rookie receivers have gone over 1,000 yards: Cooper, Michael Thomas and A.J. Brown. So it’s possible but it’s not common either. 

The other thing with the Cowboys is they still have Ezekiel Elliott, who had 420 receiving yards last season. The Cowboys aren’t going to stop throwing him the ball either. 

Realistically, the Cowboys probably won’t have three receivers go over 1,000 yards in 2020, but that’s certainly not a knock. That is a really formidable trio of receivers and the Eagles will have their hands full when they play them. 

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