INDIANAPOLIS — A groundswell of speculation surrounding the future of Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper is on the brink of reality.
Sources indicate that the Cowboys are likely to release Cooper before his $20 million salary for 2022 is fully guaranteed on March 20.
The team is also open to trading Cooper before cutting him but there isn’t much of a market as of now due to his salary and the number of receivers available.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones has indicated that it’s too early to make a final decision, but he also acknowledged that the decision is on the table due Cooper's contract and a Cowboys offensive philosophy under coach Mike McCarthy that doesn’t prioritize Cooper as a No. 1 receiver.
In 2021, Cooper ranked third on the team in catches behind receiver CeeDee Lamb and tight end Dalton Schultz, and he tied for second in targets with Schultz behind Lamb.
McCarthy said it had a lot to do with opposing defenses scheming to take Cooper away, opening up opportunities for the other players.
Now, the question is can the Cowboys be a better team without Cooper on the field?
“It doesn’t matter,” McCarthy said. “We have to be a better team regardless of how that shakes out.”
How it shakes out is delicate because Schultz is also a free agent, as well as Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson, the primary receivers the Cowboys need to move up in the rotation behind Lamb to replace Cooper.
There is a good chance the Cowboys could use the savings on Cooper to keep all three in the fold, especially with Gallup not being able to maximize earnings in free agency because he is rehabbing from a season-ending knee injury.
The big question that must be answered is whether Lamb is ready to live out his destiny and be the team’s No. 1 receiver.
It’s one thing to lead the team in all the major receiving categories as Lamb did last season when teams are primarily focused on stopping someone else. It’s another to be able to do it when you are the primary target for double teams and bracket coverage.
The Cowboys drafted Lamb 17th overall in the 2020 NFL draft and gave him the legacy No. 88 jersey because he has No. 88 receiver talent and potential.
Lamb led the Cowboys with 79 catches for 1,102 yards on 120 targets in 2021. He had three 100-yard games and eight with 80 yards or more.
But in his final seven games in 2021 when the Cowboys offense struggled, Lamb had no touchdowns and just one game with 80 yards or more.
Is Lamb ready?
The Cowboys believe so.
But as McCarthy said, it doesn’t matter. He will have to be.
