Cowboys Have Brutally Honest Admission On Amari Cooper Trade
Of all the decisions the Dallas Cowboys made last year, trading Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper was easily the most controversial. And looking back, the team is admitting that they may have been wrong to do so.
According to ESPN Cowboys insider Todd Archer, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones recently said that the team accepts that they didn't do enough to replace Cooper after they traded him. Specifically, relying so much on Michael Gallup to play like an elite receiver after suffering an ACL injury the year before, may have been misguided.
"I think Gallup, we probably should've been a little more conservative. You know, most guys come off an ACL, especially skill guys, maybe takes a little time. I think Gallup's going to be back (in form in 2023). But getting a little confidence in our drafting, thinking (Jalen) Tolbert could step right in and do some things. I think it just sometimes take a little longer with the receivers," Jones said.
Gallup finished the season with 39 receptions for 424 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. Meanwhile, Cooper had 78 receptions for 1,160 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns while starting every game for the Browns.
The Dallas Cowboys had little choice but to offload Amari Cooper during last year's offseason. They were too deep in cap hell to do anything but that.
In hindsight though, moving other pieces around and manipulating their cap better might have wound up being the difference between winning and losing a bunch of games - not to mention their brutally close defeat to the 49ers in the playoffs.
Was the Amari Cooper trade the worst move the Cowboys have made in the last five years?
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