Michael Irvin has heard a lot of interesting things in his career, but nothing compared to what Amari Cooper recently disclosed to him.
While speaking to reporters Wednesday, Irvin said he couldn't believe the Cowboys wide receiver told him he wasn't looking to increase his number of targets in 2019.
“One of the things we talked about is he said, ‘I don’t need 15-16 targets,’” Irvin said. “I’ve never heard a receiver say that. ‘I don’t need 15-16 targets a game, just give me my 8 or 9 and I’ll catch 7 or 8 passes.’
“It tells you he’s efficient. He’s efficient, and that’s a great thing.”
“I’ve never heard a receiver say that before.”
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) June 12, 2019
Michael Irvin on this Amari Cooper sound bite: pic.twitter.com/gzkB3kYv7k
Cooper has caught 278 passes on 465 targets for 3,908 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns in his career, most recently catching 75 passes on 107 targets for 1,005 yards and seven scores as he split time between Oakland and Dallas last season.
To compare, Irvin had 750 catches for 11,904 receiving yards and 65 touchdowns over his 12 seasons with the Cowboys from 1988-1999. He added another 87 catches for 1,315 yards and eight scores in the playoffs to help Dallas win three Super Bowls.
But Cooper isn't the only talented receiver on the Dallas roster. In fact, Irvin, now an NFL Network analyst, believes Dallas now has arguably the NFL's top receiving corps with Michael Gallup and the addition of Randall Cobb earlier this offseason.
“I think they have a shot at being one of the top receiving corps in the NFL,” Irvin added. “Michael Gallup came up great last year. If he can take another step? Randall Cobb stepping in and doing what he’s doing, and Amari Cooper just keep on stepping like he was stepping last year, this could be probably the best group of three guys in the NFL.”
Michael Irvin: Cowboys WRs Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb and Michael Gallup could be best group of 3 receivers in league pic.twitter.com/Ques5jCRoA
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) June 12, 2019
Combine that with the production of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, and the Cowboys once again look like contenders.