Is Amari Cooper a top-five WR? Why he thinks trade to Dallas Cowboys makes a difference

Amari Cooper doesn’t insist he’s a top-five wide receiver.

For now.

The Cowboys star doesn’t covet the label this offseason, he told USA TODAY Sports.

“It’s something I think I can prove this year, not sure if I’ve proved it yet, but I plan on doing it this year,” Cooper told USA TODAY Sports’ Trysta Krick. “I think I definitely have the mentality and skill set to be a top-five receiver, that’s no doubt. But have I proven it? I don’t know. I really want to set out and prove it.”

Consider the NFC East warned.

All things Cowboys: Latest Dallas Cowboys news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Cooper produced quickly after the Cowboys sent Oakland their 2019 first-round selection in October. He’d caught 22 passes for 281 yards and one score in six Raiders games in 2018. Then he caught 53 passes for 725 yards and six touchdowns in nine regular-season contests with Dallas. Five of those touchdowns came against divisional opponents, when Cooper burned the Redskins for two scores and 180 yards then the Eagles for three and 217, all in November.

DESTINATION DALLAS:Why former Pro Bowl DE picked Cowboys as new team

STUDY:Cowboys, Patriots have best fan bases among NFL teams

GET READY:NFL training camp dates set for all 32 teams

Coaches and teammates praised Cooper for his quick integration into a new offense, with a new playbook and a new quarterback.

Cooper said Tuesday the Cowboys gave him tools to succeed that Oakland didn’t.

“I would attribute it to getting more opportunities,” Cooper said. “The play calling was definitely different. It was more simple and it was [more] ‘pitch and catch’ than I was used to [in Oakland.] I ran a lot more of the routes I like to run and the routes I am good at.

“I think a lot of games in Oakland were just time being wasted, for a lack of a better phrase. I felt like I would play in some games that were four quarters, just like every other game, but it didn’t feel like I was doing anything. It just felt like I was out there. And that’s not a very good feeling, because every team that I have been on, I felt like I have been a big part of the success of the team and I didn’t really feel like that for a lot of games in Oakland.”

Cooper played at least 78 percent of offensive snaps in five Raiders games last season. In the sixth, vs. Seattle, he sustained a concussion. But in the healthy five, his targets were inconsistent. He was targeted three, five and one time in losses to the Rams, Dolphins and Chargers. In the two games Cooper received more targets — 10 against Denver, then 11 vs. Cleveland — he caught 18 of the 21 and posted 116 and 128 yards, respectively. (The Raiders lost 20-19 to the Broncos, and beat the Browns 45-42).

Cooper doesn’t demand to be the focus of the Cowboys’ run-heavy offense. In fact, Cowboys Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin said this month that Cooper is the first receiver he’s ever heard not insist on more targets.

“He said ‘I don’t need 15-16 targets,’” Irvin said. “I’ve never heard a receiver say that. ‘I don’t need 15-targets a game, just give me my eight or nine and I’ll catch seven or eight passes.

“It tells you he’s efficient. He’s efficient, and that’s a great thing.”

But Cooper desires a sense of purposes and the system to be efficient.

“I just felt like I was just wandering aimlessly out there,” Cooper said, “So when I got to the Cowboys, I got back to that feeling of being able to dominate games, really help my team win and be a big part of it.”

The Cowboys followed a 3-4 start before trading for Cooper with a 7-2 finish after. They lost to the Rams, 30-22, in the divisional round.

The Cowboys haven’t played in a conference championship in 23 years.

Cooper wants to change that. The first goal, he said: Win the NFC East again.

“That’s something we really take seriously and we really are going to fight to achieve,” Cooper said.

The last team to repeat as NFC East champs were the Eagles in 2003-04. Philadelphia is again the Vegas favorite for the division.

“The one thing I can say is Vegas isn’t always right,” Cooper said. “But I kind of like being the underdog. People don’t expect much from you and you just go out there and shock the world.

“When you’re the underdog, you just lay low and work.”

Cooper plans to do the same to prove his individual worth. Forget becoming a top-five receiver: CBS analyst Pete Prisco ranked the top 100 NFL players this month and Cooper wasn’t among the seven Cowboys mentioned. Fourteen league receivers were; three more received honorable mention.

More fuel to the fire, Cooper said.

“It’s motivating,” Cooper said. “It’s very motivating to go out there and prove that I deserve to be on that list.

“It makes me want to put it even more work to prove that point.”

Contributing: Trysta Krick.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.

Hear the full interview with Amari Cooper here: 

If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders.