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Five winners and five losers from the Amari Cooper to Dallas trade When the 2018 season is over for the Cowboys Jourdan Lewis Color Rush Jersey , however it ends, we’ll all remember where we were when we found out that the team traded for Amari Cooper. It’s just one of those things.Perhaps even more than remembering the news of the trade we’ll remember hearing news of the terms of the trade. The Cowboys paid a hefty price (a first-round pick) to get their new star receiver, and that’s a lot to take in.What does the Cooper trade mean for the Cowboys, though? Who stands to benefit and who stands to lose out? Welcome to a special edition of BTB’s five winners and five losers all about the Amari Cooper trade.Winner: Dak Prescott and his future (at least short-term) with the CowboysOur own Cole Patterson touched on how Amari is going to help Dak Prescott succeed, and that’s because that’s literally why the Cowboys traded for him. Dallas would not have traded away their next first-round draft pick if they didn’t believe that Dak is the guy.Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesWhether or not Dak is indeed the guy remains to be seen (there are more than enough people who believe they’ve seen enough), but again, the point in terms of this discussion is that the Cowboys clearly have decided that he is their quarterback of the future. At least the short-term future.We know that Dak Prescott can negotiate a contract extension with the Cowboys in the offseason. Perhaps Prescott might want to roll the dice on the final year of his rookie deal in hopes that he plays great from start to finish, but throughout all of that he will now have a star wide receiver at his disposal. Things are looking up if you’re Dak save for the whole “now you have to carry the Dallas Cowboys” thing.Winner: Michael Gallup and his continued developmentThis might be jumping the gun a bit, but it feels like we’re starting to see Michael Gallup develop into the makings of what can be somebody special. He almost broke out two weeks ago against Jacksonville and he caught his first career touchdown in Washington. We are definitely seeing the player that people fell in love with throughout the draft process.It was always going to be very difficult for Gallup to immediately turn into a force of a wide receiver during his rookie year. What’s made matters a little more difficult for him is that there simply isn’t another threat to command any attention from opposing defenses. With Amari Cooper on the field, Michael Gallup is going to have his opportunity to shine and to grow. Good for him.Winner: Ezekiel Elliott... hopefullyThe Cowboys wouldn’t have traded for Amari Cooper in general (especially at such a high price) if they didn’t think that he could seriously help them. For all of our sakes we need to hope that they are right and if they are then life is going to get a whole lot easier for Ezekiel Elliott.Opposing teams don’t fear the Cowboys passing game at all. It’s unlikely that Amari Cooper singlehandedly fixes everything, but the possibility that he could improve their overall attack definitely exists. If Dallas becomes more potent through the air then people are going to have to pay attention to that. That’s when Zeke gets fed and we get happy.Winner: Whoever arranges the flights for the Cowboys and RaidersThe Cowboys and Raiders have now executed three trades with one another this season. In terms of players the Cowboys have sent Ryan Switzer while they have acquired Jamize Olawale, Jihad Ward, and now Amari. That’s a lot of interaction with one team.What’s more is that Amari Cooper marks the third different first-round pick of the Raiders to play for the Cowboys since 2014. That was the year that Rolando McClain joined the squad and one year later the Cowboys signed Darren McFadden. Both of those players were helpful in their own way, here’s hoping that Amari can be as well.Winner: Amari Cooper, Amari Cooper’s ability to rest, and Amari Cooper’s bank accountThe Oakland Raiders have been one of the biggest disasters in the NFL this season. Jon Gruden has done almost everything that he can to completely disassemble a team that was in the playoffs just two years ago. It’s weird to watch.Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesAmari gets to go from playing for the Raiders to playing for the Cowboys and that’s a serious step up in the NFL. Considering the fact that Oakland was just on a bye and that Dallas is on one this week, Amari also gets his second week off in a row. That must be nice.Moreover Amari Cooper had his fifth-year option for the 2019 season picked up by the Raiders which means it now belongs to the Cowboys. He’ll be up for a new contract soon and if a team is willing to trade a first-round pick to get him it likely means that that same team is willing to pay him something nice.Loser: Any thought of the Cowboys rebuilding in the draft next seasonThere are plenty of Cowboys fans who were ready for the team to tank earlier in the season. Some folks had begun to assess the 2019 draft class and were already starting to construct the latest version of the Cowboys roster off of the hypothetical players that they drafted. Tim Heitman-USA TODAY SportsThanks to the Cowboys surrendering a first-round pick for Cooper we know that’s not happening. Dallas is slated to not have a first-round pick for the first time since 2009 which was coincidentally the result of another trade for a wide receiver. It’s hard to re-build if you don’t have a pick in the first round.There will be no first-round quarterback or shiny new toy in all likelihood. The Cooper trade has to work out or having to watch the first night of the draft will be all the more painful.Loser: Brice Butler and his short-lived return to the CowboysThe Cowboys brought back wide receiver Brice Butler during the middle of this season and plenty believed (for good reason) that he was going to rekindle whatever he had going on with Dak Prescott two years ago during the remainder of this season. That did not happen.Butler found out that his spot was the one Amari Cooper would occupy when the Cowboys landed from their trip to Washington on Monday, and that’s life in the NFL. It’s a business first and unfortunately for Butler the business worked out this way. Hopefully something else goes his way soon.Loser: The “wide receiver by committee” approachNot even a month ago Jason Garrett announced during his press conference that the Cowboys were going with a “wide receiver by committee” approach. That did not yield success.Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson, two of the bigger free agent signings for Dallas, have been sorely disappointing this season. Tavon Austin is hurt. Michael Gallup is starting to catch on as mentioned, and Cole Beasley is always saucin’ it up. That’s simply not enough to compete in the NFL, though.The Cowboys obviously feel the need for a true number one receiver which completely defies the way they built the position group over the course of the offseason. Good on them for admitting their mistake, but it was definitely a costly lesson to learn.Loser: Continued success in the first round of the draftIt’s been talked about a lot, but that’s for good reason. The Dallas Cowboys are kind of spectacular at drafting in the first round. Since 2010:Dez BryantTyron SmithMorris ClaiborneTravis FrederickZack MartinByron JonesEzekiel ElliottTaco CharltonLeighton Vander EschAlmost all of these players have turned into legitimate studs for the Dallas Cowboys, although it’s definitely too early to lump Vander Esch in that group. He certainly looks promising and it should be noted that Byron Jones has only come on in part due to what Kris Richard has done with him, that leaves Taco Charlton as the one miss of sorts, and Morris Claiborne depending on how you view his time here. That’s still an insane success rate.We know that the Cowboys usually choose legitimate players in the first round. Hopefully that same level of evaluation and judgement is what made spending the pick on Cooper worth it.Loser: Lance Lenoir and any hope of him getting an opportunityOne of the biggest pet cats around is wide receiver Lance Lenoir. Lance is on the Cowboys practice squad and with so many questions at the receiver position people started to wonder whether he’d get a shot at any point or not.Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY SportsAmari Cooper’s arrival seems to suggest that Lenoir will stay right where he is on the practice squad, and that’s just unfortunate to see. He has done a great job at working to be great for the Cowboys but it seems like that might not be enough.It’s also worth noting that Noah Brown is on injured reserve and could be a possible loser from all of this https://www.dallascowboysfanshop.com/Rico-Gathers-Jersey , too. Dallas has an abundance of receivers but beyond Cooper, Cole Beasley, and Michael Gallup they really just have a lot of question marks.The Amari Cooper trade really shook up a lot of plans for the present and future for the Cowboys. If it works out none of that will matter, but if it doesn’t then people are going to riot. Such is life in the NFL and with the Dallas Cowboys.Grading the Cowboys’ 20-17 loss to the Redskins The Dallas Cowboys had a golden opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the NFC East Sunday afternoon. But this team has yet to figure out how to play well on the road, with yet another sloppy, mistake-filled performance that left fans frustrated and the team under .500 seven games into the 2018 season. Let’s go to the grades. OVERALL: C-Looking at the final stats you’d think Dallas played better than they did. They out-gained the Redskins 323 to 305. Quarterback Dak Prescott recorded a 96.8 quarterback rating while throwing for 273 yards on 35 attempts. The defense surrendered only 13 points and just over 300 yards. But the reality is Dallas was dominated in the trenches from opening whistle to final gun. The team managed only 73 rushing yards and only 33 from Ezekiel Elliott. There were numerous penalties (each seemingly more costly than the previous) and two turnovers. The defense meanwhile made virtually no high impact plays. There was only one sack (for a measly three yards), only thee additional QB pressures, only one pass defensed and three tackles for loss. The special teams also had a poor day, contributing to the general sloppiness. It’s the kind of overall road performance we’ve become accustomed to this year and it’s getting old. COACHING: DCoach Jason Garrett has failed to field a quality team on the road and one has to ask why there’s such a huge difference between how this team performs on the road and at home. Yet again the team was sloppy from the outset. The first drive was doomed by one of four major offensive line penalties. Then Chris Jones shanked a punt for only 33 yards. Then the defense gave up an easy 52-yard touchdown drive. In short, all three phases of the game played badly early, putting the team behind from the get-go. This seems to happen every week when the team leaves AT&T Stadium. Dallas has trailed by a combined 50-9 in their four road games and have failed to overcome the deficit every time. Garrett seems to have no answers for why his team continually makes mistakes and falls behind in these road games. And of course we had yet another instance where Garrett’s conservative nature cost the Cowboys. Garret effectively “gave up” when team had a first down from the Redskins’ 31-yard line with 12 seconds and a time-out remaining. Garrett could have chose to run a play to get ten yards or so closer for a field goal attempt. Or, as he probably should have, he could have taken a shot at the end zone to win the game. Instead, he predictably chose the least aggressive approach and had Elliott run up the middle for yet another 2-yard run. This set up a 47-yard field goal when it could have been shorter. Tony Romo’s thoughts:Garrett has botched end-of-game situation like this repeatedly throughout his career and seems to never learn anything from such failures. QUARTERBACK: C-On the one hand, Dak Prescott threw for 277 yards and compiled a 96 passer rating. He also added 33 yards rushing and scored a rushing touchdown for the second consecutive week. He played tough despite being under constant heavy pressure and taking a vicious hit to the head the put him into the concussion protocol. He was also betrayed (yet again) by his receivers, who dropped three balls. On the other hand, he again missed plays that were available, either not seeing open receivers or refusing to take shots in those situations. But it was his two turnovers that really changed the game. First he bizarrely fumbled on a successful fourth-down quarterback sneak, ending one drive. Then he committed a cardinal sin late in the fourth quarter. Facing a 3rd-and-14 from his own ten while down three with just over six minutes remaining Prescott made three bad mistakes on the same play. First, he held the ball too long; he had plenty of opportunity to throw the ball away and avoid a bad play. Second, he seemed to lose track of where he was and turned backwards into the end zone when pressured, creating a safety opportunity. Third, he then fumbled the ball, giving the Redskins an easy, gimme touchdown. It was a truly horrible play in every way and a play that a third-year NFL quarterback absolutely cannot make. The play pretty much undermined all the good Prescott did during the rest of the game. OFFENSIVE LINE: FThe numbers tell the story:Four sacksThree holding penalties and a chop block penalty2.2 yards per run for Ezekiel ElliottElliott’s rushing chart reveals the ineptitude:Tyron Smith looks nothing like the best left tackle in the NFL; he was repeatedly beaten off the edge by speed rushes. Connor Williams continues to struggle with power rushers and bull rushes. La’el Collins plays inconsistently. This unit, which is the highest paid (by a wide margin) in the NFL, and has eaten up massive draft capital and salary cap, is a failure at this point. The team is built around the offensive line and the Cowboys need elite play from it. Instead Geoff Swaim Jersey , especially on the road, the unit is mediocre to downright bad. It’s actually remarkable that Dallas managed nearly 330 yards and scored 17 points considering how bad the offensive line played. Needless to say, if it doesn’t improve significantly and quickly this season will soon be over. RUNNING BACK: BEzekiel Elliott had no chance Sunday. He was constantly swarmed and had no running lanes. He was also given few chances in the passing game (though he did have a potential touchdown pass bounce off his helmet). It’s hard to really judge Elliott because he simply didn’t have any opportunity against the Redskins. TIGHT ENDS: C-The offensive lineman weren’t the only ones who struggled to block in the running game. The tight ends constantly seemed to be pushed five yards into the backfield on running plays. They also contributed very little in the passing game. Geoff Swaim had his customary one good play (though it looked like he might have injured his knee on the play). Blake Jarwin finally made a play, making a catch to convert a 4th-and-13. Rico Gathers got one target but got tangled up with a defender as the ball approached. Otherwise, the four tight ends were invisible when they weren’t being pushed around. WIDE RECEIVERS: B-There was some good. Cole Beasley had seven catches on eight targets, including a big-time catch on the team’s fourth quarter touchdown drive. He also contributed what appeared to be a huge third-down conversion that was negated by a Connor Williams holding (followed immediately by Prescott’s disastrous end zone fumble). Michael Gallup had three catches for 81 yards, including a mammoth 49-yard touchdown to get the Cowboys on the board late in the first half (Gallup used a beautiful stop-and-go to give Prescott a wide open target). But Hurns also had a drop and Deonte Thompson added yet another drop (I feel like he has more drops than catches on the year). The wide receivers seem to suffer from whatever else ails the team on the road as they have had multiple drops in every road game.DEFENSIVE LINE: C-The Redskins were missing multiple weapons on offense yet continually pushed the Dallas front four around. Alex Smith was sacked only once and was officially hurried only three other times. He had time to make plays all day. The Redskins also ran at will on the Cowboys defensive lineman. Demarcus Lawrence did have three tackles for loss, including two in a clutch red-zone stop. But Tyrone Crawford, David Irving, Randy Gregory and Taco Charlton combined for seven tackles, no sacks, one tackle for loss and one QB hurry. I honestly don’t remember anyone making any plays other than Lawrence (and the one Irving sack).LINEBACKERS: C+Sean Lee returned and made several Seen Lee plays. Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, however, didn’t seem to make as many plays as they have recently. The trio combined to record 16 tackles but many were downfield, they recorded only a single tackle for loss and made no noteworthy plays beyond the few from Sean Lee. SECONDARY: B+The game started with the defense’s biggest weakness, a long touchdown pass. However, this time it came on a short screen where Kavon Frazier had an opportunity to blow the playbut couldn’t make the tackle. Otherwise the secondary held up pretty well. Despite an effective running game and virtually no pressure on Alex Smith, the Redskins passed for only 178 yards. Byron Jones and Chidobi Awuzie give the team the stickiest corners the team has had in many years. They gave up a few contested plays but otherwise were strong. SPECIAL TEAMS: DWhen an NFL game is as close as this one was, special teams often is the difference between winning and losing. Thus, the team couldn’t afford the poor play they received Sunday. First punter Chris Jones just had a bad day. He shanked his first kick of the game (33 yards). He later kicked only 36 yards to the Redskins’ 34. And his longest kick (52 yards) went into the end zone for a 32-yard net. Jones’ poor punting contributed to the Redskins’ enjoying a huge edge in average starting position (34 to 21). And of course we had the fiasco on the last play of the game. First, L.P. Ladouceur was called for a snap infraction. The penalty pushed Brett Maher’s game-tying attempt back five yards to a 52-yard kick, Maher, of course, bounced the kick off the upright for his first miss in 16 attempts.Side note: I have never heard of this penalty and based on Twitter reactions no one else has either. In addition, video shows L.P. does pretty much the same thing he did on the penalized play every other time the team kicks. This was a bogus call.And it’s yet another in the long pantheon of questionable, obscure penalties being called against the Cowboys in key moments. These were small mistakes but they added to the generally sloppy, mistake-riddled play that has become a constant for this team when they go on the road.