5 nightmare scenarios for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022
By Randy Gurzi
2. CeeDee Lamb isn’t up to the task
One of the more criticized moves Dallas made this offseason was when they traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a mere fifth-round pick. They sold this move as a cap casualty, but it was really a result of them overpaying Ezekiel Elliott back in 2019.
Sure, Elliott is a tough player who gives his all but this is no longer a running league. That’s why when players such as Derrick Henry or Nick Chubb get new deals, they land four-year contracts at most with an out after two seasons.
With Zeke, Dallas added six years to an already existing contract and paid him top dollar. That means they still can’t get out of that contract and they had to trade their top receiver in a passing league due to this massive and inexcusable blunder.
Friends don't let friends pay running backs.
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) March 20, 2020
Anyway, back to the passing game. Dallas felt they could move on from Cooper due to the emergence of CeeDee Lamb. However, they’re putting a ton of pressure on him since they also lost Cedrick Wilson and paid Michael Gallup who just suffered a torn ACL in January.
Lamb has the talent to be the No. 1 guy but this nightmare scenario is that they’re expecting too much from him. It’s one thing to ask him to fill in for Cooper, but to ask him to hold down the fort until Gallup is healthy and also replace Wilson could be too tall of a task. If it is, this could spell disaster in 2022.