Ranking the Cowboys’ 4 biggest losses during the 2022 offseason

1. Amari Cooper, WR

The rumors that Cooper may be leaving Dallas started very early on. Ahead of 2020, Cooper signed a five-year, $100 million. That deal had an out because it had no guaranteed money left at the beginning of 2022. The Cowboys’ choice not to restructure that contract last off-season was already a sign of foreshadowing. The receiver made a whopping $20 million to have a subpar year in 2021.

Both Stephen and Jerry Jones expressed their frustration with Cooper’s production given his pay. Plus, cutting the receiver would help the team save $16 million towards the salary cap.  Fans quickly realized that Cooper’s exit seemed inevitable. While some argued that the fact that the Cowboys were able to save money and get some draft help in return for Cooper was a good thing, most argued that the Browns were the clear winners in the trade.

Remember that Dallas gave up a first-round pick to acquire the wide receiver from the Raiders in 2018. Now, they’re getting rid of him for a lousy fifth and sixth-round pick. The Browns are landing a top NFL talent for almost nothing. Yes, they have to pay $20 million in 2022, but if things don’t work out with Cooper, they can get out of the contract after one year.

https://twitter.com/1kalwaysopen_/status/1502725429416837127?s=20&t=ra7DUac2ZArS5yMdHx4Fhg

So, yes. Cooper didn’t perform the way he could’ve in 2021. But now the Cowboys have a giant gap in the wide receiver corps with Wilson and Cooper gone. The team is losing a no-doubt starter. While they were able to secure Michael Gallup to a five-year contract worth $62.5 million, Gallup is currently recovering from ACL surgery. What if Gallup is never the same when he returns in 2022?

Another thing to point out is that Cooper and Dak Prescott had chemistry. Cooper has been a go-to target for Dak for three years. Since 2018, the two have connected for 23 touchdowns. Here are some more stats to prove Cooper’s impact:

Since 2018, when Cooper was in the game…

• Prescott was 28-16
• The Cowboys averaged over 28 points per game
• Prescott averaged over 297 passing yards per game
• Prescott’s completion percentage was 67.9%

Without Cooper…

• Prescott was 3-6
• The Cowboys averaged 20.2 points per game
• Prescott’s average dropped to 223.1
• Prescott’s completion percentage dropped to 63.5%

If you’re going to pay Prescott the big bucks, why aren’t you going to prioritize a guy who helps him perform well? All in all, the Cowboys’ only hope in this trade being worth it is that Cooper has a low chance of success with Baker Mayfield or some unknown quarterback at the helm in Cleveland. It’s likely his absence may come back to haunt Jerry Jones.