Amari Cooper was in Dallas for all of Kellen Moore’s run as offensive coordinator and CeeDee Lamb’s career thus far. Though now with Cleveland, the Cowboys’ former number-one receiver has good insight into this team and made some comments today that are worth paying attention to.
Appearing on “The Ticket” radio show earlier today, Cooper shared some thoughts on Dallas moving forward with Lamb as their new top receiver. Thankfully, Amari had only good things to say about his former teammate.
Amari Cooper was just on the air with @dfwticket. Asked if CeeDee Lamb is ready to step into the Cowboys’ WR1 spot, I thought his answer was very interesting. For multiple reasons. pic.twitter.com/3vR0ZADfnn
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) July 22, 2022
From a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the NFL’s more productive receivers since he arrived, Amari’s endorsement is no small thing. And while he likely has some feelings about this front office and coaching staff after being discarded, those don’t appear to be clouding his judgment about Lamb as his successor.
Cooper was traded to the Browns in March in a cap-clearing move. Dallas only got back a 5th-round pick and an earlier pick in the 6th round; the real impetus for the trade coming from the $16 million in cap space that dumping Amari’s contract created.
Dallas used some of that money to re-sign Michael Gallup but it’s generally expected that CeeDee will now be the featured receiver. While Lamb’s talent has never been questioned, Amari’s slight jab at Kellen Moore reveals how he felt about his usage in Dallas’ offense and concern for Lamb going forward.
Last year Lamb was the most-targeted receiver in Dallas but was only 24th in the NFL overall. Moore’s offensive approach is to maintain balance, which was evident in Cooper and Schultz being tied with 104 targets each and not being far behind Lamb’s 120 targets for the year.
Comparatively, Cooper Kupp had 191 targets in Los Angeles while other big WR names like Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, and Stefon Diggs were all over 160 for the 2021 season.
Clearly, Amari feels that Kellen Moore’s playcalling holds receivers back in Dallas. No doubt Cooper blames usage for why he didn’t get to produce more here and wound up being discarded.
Hopefully, CeeDee Lamb’s talent won’t be restrained in 2022.
