Cowboys Explanation for Benching Amari Cooper on Final Play is Actually Pathetic

Amari Cooper and the Dallas Cowboys are not on the same page, and that's bad news heading into the final game of the NFL regular season, a must-win showdown against the Redskins.

Cooper stated that the Cowboys pulled him from the team's final offensive play in their loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, but now the Cowboys are disputing that notion. However, their own explanation for keeping Cooper off the field is pretty bogus.

A #Cowboys source disputes the notion WR Amari Cooper was benched. Instead they wanted to give Tavon Austin a shot at the DBs because Eagles having hard time w smaller quick guys. They got in hurry up mode so they had to wait to put Cooper back in. “Rotation change, not bench.”
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) December 23, 2019

Jerry Jones, what are we doing here? Why are you allowing your coaching staff to get away with something like this?

If this is indeed the reason Cooper was sidelined, surely Jason Garrett and Co. know there are other ways to get Tavon Austin onto the field rather than benching your best receiver on what was the most pivotal play of the entire season.

This incident may very well be the nail in the coffin for Garrett, who has the entire city of Dallas calling for his job.

3 & 1, season on the line. Zeke on the bench, Pollard fumble.

4th & 9, game on the line, Amari Cooper on the bench. #Cowboys
— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) December 23, 2019

The Cowboys needed to win Sunday's game (against their arch-rivals, no less) in order to clinch a playoff berth. Of course, they couldn't pull it off, and these reports certainly don't help with the optics of their performance. How could they pull their No. 1 wide receiver on the most important play of the game, which was sure to be a passing play?

This explanation from the Cowboys should be classified as complete garbage. There's no excuse for messing up the logistics of a play that may very well dictate how your season ends. And that's only if you take their excuse of an explanation seriously.