Cowboys researching Amari Cooper, considering trade with Raiders for WR

Although the Oakland Raiders have been adamant to teams that they want a first-round draft pick in exchange for wide receiverAmari Cooper, theDallas Cowboyshave researched him extensively in recent days, league sources told ESPN.

The Cowboys have been calling around to people who know the 24-year-old Cooper, gathering as much information as they can about him as they mull whether to make a move for the former first-round draft selection, according to sources.

The Cowboys are not alone; the Raiders have heard inquiries on Cooper from, among others, the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts, according to a league source.

But of all the teams that need wide receivers, the most intriguing is Dallas, and it would not be the first time that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has dealt for a receiver before the league's trade deadline.

The Cowboys traded first-, third-, sixth- and seventh-round picks to the Detroit Lions in 2008 for wide receiver Roy Williams, in a move that did not work out. But they have been so lacking at wide receiver this season that they are considering a move with the NFC East being as wide-open as it is.

Cooper has just 22 catches for 280 yards and one touchdown in his first six games this season and is coming off a disappointing 2017 campaign, when he had 48 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. But Cooper was a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons with the Raiders, eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards both years.

Cooper is in the NFL's concussion protocol, but the Raiders are on a bye this week and don't play again until Oct. 28 against Indianapolis. He suffered the injury last week in Oakland's loss to Seattle in London.