Amari Cooper has played every game despite injuries to a foot, a quadriceps, an ankle and a knee. So his absence for the Cowboys’ final offensive play of the day easily could be explained away to his injuries.
Except it wasn’t.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, that Cooper and Randall Cobb weren’t on the field for final fourth-down play because they needed a rest after being in for a lot of plays in the two-minute offense. Huh?
Cooper missed several plays in the second half, standing on the sideline and watching.
“He was rotating with Tavon Austin, so Tavon was in,” Garrett said, via Newy Scruggs of NBC5.
Cooper said, via David Helman of the team website, that the coaches pulled him before the fourth-down play that ended with an incompletion to Michael Gallup on a pass breakup by Sidney Jones.
Cooper caught only four of 12 targets for 24 yards. In his previous three games against the Eagles as a member of the Cowboys, Cooper averaged seven receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys won all three games.
Cooper had only one catch for 19 yards last week and no catches in Week 12 against the Patriots. He has not had 100 yards in a game since Week 10 when he went for 147 against the Vikings.
It is important to note he is scheduled to become a free agent in the offseason.