Every NFL team makes decisions they ultimately regret, and the Dallas Cowboys are no exception.
I'm writing this two years ago, the day Dallas traded Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for just a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. The move came just days after signing fellow receiver Michael Gallup to a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension. That means there is no more money to pay Cooper.
These two moves were derided at the time, but two years later they look even worse.
Tim Heitman, USA TODAY
For Gallup, signing him to a big contract extension was already a big risk at the time. He had two strong seasons in 2019 and 2020, but suffered a torn ACL late in the 2021 season.
It was expected that he would come back healthy from his injury the following season, but unfortunately that was not to be. Gallup had just 424 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2022, and will have similar numbers in 2023 with 418 receiving yards and two touchdowns despite playing in all 17 games. Those numbers aren't terrible for a No. 3 receiver, but they certainly aren't worth paying more than $11 million per year.
The Cowboys apparently agreed, as they released Gallup on Friday with three years left on his contract.
Cooper, on the other hand, has been great in Cleveland, maybe even better than he was in Dallas. In his first two seasons with the Browns, the former Cowboys star rushed for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl last season. Dallas has had some trouble finding a decent No. 2 option to go alongside CeeDee Lamb, but that should never have been an issue if they had managed to hang on to Cooper.
We know Cooper's background. CowboysSI.com reported an article about why the front office was dissatisfied with his level of contribution as a $20 million cornerstone player: “Downsize!” trade.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys took a gamble by choosing the younger Gallup over Cooper, and while we understand the idea, looking back over the past two years, it's clear it didn't pay off in the slightest. is.
And now, exactly two years later? The Cowboys don't have enough bodies and maybe not enough talent…mainly because of two big moves that look like two big mistakes in the receiver room.
