NFL rumors: Dallas Cowboys, Pro Bowl wide receiver have ‘mutual interest’ in signing
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2025 NFL Draft with a pretty glaring need at wide receiver, but didn’t address the position whatsoever. While that decision raised plenty of criticism, it appears it came with the intent of adding immediate help in NFL free agency.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported this week that there is ‘mutual interest’ between the Cowboys and wide receiver Amari Cooper. While a deal isn’t imminent, the two sides are both open to a reunion ahead of the 2025 season.
Cooper, who turns 31 in June, struggled last season with the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. In six games with Cleveland, he averaged just 41.7 receiving yards per game with a 45.3 percent catch rate on 53 targets. After being traded to Buffalo midseason, he started in just 4 games (8 games played) and averaged 37.1 receiving yards per contest.
While he was playing through a wrist injury in 2024, suffered in Week 7, his overall efficiency also dropped. According to Player Profiler, Cooper ranked 71st in yards per route run (1.48), 33rd in route win rate (46.8 percent) and 95th in yards per target (6.4).
However, he does have familiarity with the Cowboys’ offense and rapport with Dak Prescott. From 2018-2021, Cooper hauled in 292 receptions for 3,893 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns, averaging 69.5 receiving yards per game across 56 contests.
If signed, he could operate as a possession receiver next season with Lamb and KaVontae Turpin providing more big-play threats. While it wouldn’t be an explosive addition to the Cowboys’ offense, Cooper would push the likes of Turpin, Jalen Tolbert and Parris Campbell into roles they are more suited for in 2025.
Analytics show the Cowboys got a huge steal during 2025 NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys have received a lot of praise for their 2025 draft class, and a big reason why is due to the selection of Boston College pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku. Many draft experts believed that he could have been a first-round pick as he was the No. 22 player on The Athletic’s Consensus Big Board.
The tape for Ezeiruaku was fantastic, and his performance during the 2025 Senior Bowl solidified his spot inside the top 50 picks. But how does Ezeiruaku compare from an analytics perspective compared to the other top pass rushers in the class?
In a recent article by ESPN, they asked their hosts of NFL experts to name their favorite picks from the 2025 NFL Draft. In that piece, Seth Walder, the Sports Analytics Director at ESPN, named Ezeiruaku as his favorite pick in the class.
Cowboys’ Donovan Ezeiruaku pick continues to look like excellent value
Here is what he had to say about the Cowboys stealing the Boston College pass rusher at pick No. 44:
Walder’s model relies on sack numbers and pressure rate to rank pass rushers and he had only Abdul Carter and Mike Green ranked ahead of Ezeiruaku coming into the draft. But sack totals aren’t the only encouraging metric for Ezeiruaku.
Tackles for a loss is one of the most predictive statistics when it comes to evaluating pass rushers, and the key number is 1.5 tackles for loss per game in a single season. If a pass rusher can reach that mark, the odds of him becoming a Pro Bowl player in the NFL are very high.
Ezeiruaku reached that number during the 2024 college football season, recording 1.75 tackles for loss per game (21 total) for Boston College. The fact that he has so many sacks and tackle for a loss production is a great indicator of potential success in the NFL. It’s also worth mentioning that Ezeiruaku had another season (2022) where he recorded 15 tackles for a loss in 12 games, which is incredibly impressive when you account for his age.
