The NFL never stops and just a month removed from the crowning of the Los Angeles Rams as Super Bowl Champions, the league is already flipping the page and moving full steam ahead to the 2022-2023 season.
The combine that precedes the NFL Draft has already taken place and NFL free agency begins next week. Teams are currently making decisions to free up cap space as they look to improve their teams for next season. A significant trade for the Dallas Cowboys has potentially career-altering implications for two former Oklahoma Sooners, who at one point were teammates.
The Dallas Cowboys traded their star wide receiver Amari Cooper Saturday afternoon to the Cleveland Browns in an attempt to free up cap space this year and in future years as well. The decision is a head-scratcher for their on-field product as Cooper has been a very productive receiver since being traded to them in 2018 from the Oakland Raiders. However, the Cowboys front office just didn’t see the 2021 production matching the price tag they decided to ship him off to Cleveland.
The Cowboys are finalizing a trade to send WR Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick, league sources tell @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/xpy0F8nMEX
— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2022
Cooper now lands in Cleveland where quarterback Baker Mayfield will gladly welcome Cooper’s route running and play-making with open arms.
For Mayfield, this upcoming year is the biggest and most important of his professional career. He is due just north of 18 million dollars in the final year of his rookie contract and after an up and down four seasons in Cleveland, Mayfield needs Cooper to provide the same boost to the Browns offense that he did for the Cowboys and Dak Prescott.
Mayfield has to take some steps forward individually but after the falling out with Odell Beckham Jr., Mayfield must show the Browns and the NFL that he is capable of working and thriving with talented wide receivers.
Back in Dallas, Cooper’s departure means something major for the future of the Cowboys’ offense and in particular, CeeDee Lamb.
The former Sooner star was taken 17th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft to give the Cowboys another dynamic playmaker alongside wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. After a Prescott injury derailed Lamb’s connection with his quarterback, Lamb would go on to have a very solid rookie season with a revolving door at QB.
This year with a dinged up Prescott, Lamb put together a nice season with 79 receptions, 1,102 receiving yards, and six touchdowns.
Lamb led the Dallas Cowboys in receiving and looks poised to take another step forward in year three. With Cooper’s trade comes a big opportunity.
His role is no longer that of a number two guy or 1B to Amari Cooper’s 1A. CeeDee Lamb is unquestionably the Dallas Cowboys’ number one receiver on the depth chart. Gallup tore his ACL at the end of the season and with the Cowboys still needing to decide what the future holds for Michael Gallup and their starting tight end Dalton Schultz, Lamb’s ascension to alpha dog in the Cowboys receiving room is very apparent.
For Lamb, it means he must raise the bar once again. His numbers this past year were very good but they could’ve been much better. Concentration drops, confusion, and miscommunication with his quarterback cost him even more opportunities to make plays. Lamb also struggled against press coverage at times. He also wasn’t used enough. The coaching staff needs to take a nice, long look in the mirror and figure out how to better get their playmakers the football
Lamb has all the ability in the world to eventually be one of the league’s ten best wide receivers. This offseason coupled with the news of Cooper’s departure gives Lamb the time and opportunity to prepare to take his game to new heights in 2022. Lamb thrived in his final season in Oklahoma as the clearcut number one option amassing 62 Catches for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final season in the Crimson and Cream.
For Mayfield and Lamb, this season and ultimately their careers could forever be changed by a trade that doesn’t directly involve either one of them but indirectly should benefit both. And if they maximize the opportunities in front of them, they could see their careers ascend to new heights.