So, this is pretty self-explanatory. The Cowboys took a gamble with Cooper. And I'm not exactly sure why. But I suggest he had problems not being the number 1 target at times and taking a back seat to Lamb.
In an interview with the Browns, Cooper was excited that he would have input with the coaches on what routes he "can get open on."
I found that interesting, that he put so much value in having input on which route he would run in the game. That, and I observe he doesn't play with the reckless abandon Lamb plays with. Lamb is 100MPH, all the time. Cooper will duck defenders. It's just a different style, and I think Cooper takes a business first approach rather than team before himself like Lamb. And it shows in his game.
In any case, the only two players on the roster capable of putting up 865 yards in 17 games is Tolbert or Fehoko.
James Washington had 735 yards one year, but then he sat behind other players allegedly favored by the coaches in Pittsburgh.
I'm a big Gallup fan (he and Diggs are my favorite players). And I fully believe Gallup has another 1,000-yard season or two left in him. But I wonder whether that'll be the year following an ACL tear. Or sometime in the future. I think the Cowboys took a bigger gamble on Gallup over opting to retain Cooper because of the kind of team-first player he appears to be.
That's why I see the Cooper trade more about culture change than anything.
Jon Gruden did the same thing when was implementing a culture change within the Raiders.
For this offense to work the way it did last year, Tolbert, Fehoko and Washington all need to step up their game for an approximate combined 1,467 yards after losing Cedrick Wilson who had 602 yards and Amari Cooper who had 865 yards in 2021.
But I think Washington more or less plays the Cedrick Wilson role.
I'm pretty sure that leaves Tolbert taking over Cooper's role, since there's only one ball to go around. But I can also see Fehoko also playing well if something happens. He has the athleticism and seems to fit in well with the team, and the Cowboys made a point to keep him for this year.
For those who believe Schultz hasn't been an important factor to the offense or believe that you can just plug and pay any player there, they need to wake up and smell the roses. Schultz quietly put up 800 yards last year, which really helped the offenses production, which we'll need again if we want to make the playoffs.
He's simply not getting enough credit around here from fans.
