“It went well. I felt good,” Cooper said Saturday night. “It was the first time that I really needed these reps before the first game.”
Cooper said he’s not worried about sitting too long between meaningful games, but said actual playing time should set him up for the season opener against the world champions.
“I wouldn’t say I’m rusty, I would say I haven’t played in a long time. I haven’t run a course against anyone in a long time,” Cooper said. “This was the third time I’ve worn the pads since January. No rust, I needed to have that competitive feeling before it really mattered.”
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he was more than happy with the job Cooper did in the game, coupled with the practice snaps in the week leading up to Saturday.
“Amari has had a great week of training. Just to really get him back out there, that was the gist, “McCarthy said.” Frankly, we just played Amari, Michael, and CeeDee the first two sets, I just wanted to get them about 10-12 shots. “
Cooper was able to walk a few routes, but had no reception and wasn’t even credited with an official goal.
Still, it was the work that was satisfying enough.
“I had only practiced twice before today. It felt a bit foreign to me to train,” Cooper said. “I haven’t done anything for seven months. Without playing the fourth preseason game, I will have the opportunity to train for three weeks.”