ARLINGTON, Texas — It didn’t take long for Amari Cooper to make an impact for the Dallas Cowboys.
Not even a quarter.
Cooper caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott on a pivot route with 6:12 remaining in the first quarter to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead over the Tennessee Titans on Monday night.
On the second play from scrimmage, Cooper caught an 11-yard pass from Prescott for a first down. He was targeted one other time on the first drive of the game, but Prescott’s fade route in the end zone landed out of bounds.
The Cowboys acquired Cooper from the Oakland Raiders for a 2019 first-round pick on Oct. 20. He had two brief practices during the Cowboys’ bye week and had a full three practices in preparation for the Titans. In between, he and wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal met at a park in the Bay Area to go over the Cowboys’ offense.
From head coach Jason Garrett to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to Prescott, the Cowboys lauded Cooper’s ability to pick up the offense quickly. He has lined up mostly wide to his left, but has also has lined up wide right, in the slot to the right and tight to the offensive line on the left. They even faked a jet sweep to Cooper.
On the third drive, Prescott got a little greedy in looking to Cooper in the end zone on a crossing route. He was double-covered and safety Kevin Byard came down with the interception in the end zone with 3:30 to play in the first quarter.
Byard ran to the midfield star, a la Terrell Owens years ago when he played for the San Francisco 49ers, and danced, which riled a number of Cowboys defenders as they were going on the field.
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