Without Amari Cooper, who’s the Dallas Cowboys WR1?

With Amari Cooper  banished to Cleveland and Cedrick Wilson moving to Miami, vacancies are everywhere on the Dallas Cowboys WR depth chart. The most notable of which, is the spot at the very top: WR1.  When I say WR1, I am talking about who steps up and fills Amari’s role on the team. The one guy you can line up outside and be your number one threat.

There are a few schools of thought to this. But before we get into the thoughts, it is understood here that free agency is ongoing and the draft is still upcoming. These are just the thoughts as the team stands now since they are probably not bringing that guy in during free agency. I will cover the draft portion here.

Without Amari Cooper on the roster, who is now going to be the Dallas Cowboys WR1?

There are many among the Cowboys Nation that feels CeeDee Lamb would just roll outside (for a majority of snaps) and be the next man up. Part of the view is that if he can’t do that, then the Cowboys missed on the pick two years ago.

I would argue that Lamb is still one of your most dynamic players and since he can score from almost anywhere, he’s well is worth the pick, but I digress…

Lamb makes sense to be the obvious replacement due to his draft stock and his ability to make amazing plays from all over. In 2020, Lamb played under 18% of his snaps on the outside, however, he saw a rise in outside snaps 2021 (during weeks two through nine), before bumping back down to end the season.

He has the agility and speed to work the outside, but there have been some concerns with drops and polished route running. Unless the Cowboys choose one of the other options this is probably the most likely option, followed closely by the next one.

Michael Gallup is the bigger wide receiver of the two and has played traditionally on the outside. Gallup is a likely option for the Dallas Cowboys, with the hope that he draws the opposing team’s better corner to help Lamb on the other side. Gallup has the size and speed but his route running is certainly not on the Amari Cooper level. What Gallup does have is a great catch radius and has shown the ability to make the big play.

The NFL draft is always an option as well. This draft is pretty top-heavy at wide receiver and the Cowboys could find one at 24, and with a little luck, might even  find one at 56. A bigger receiver or one that is a route running technician could also be picked up with the hope of them playing outside to allow the movement of Lamb all over the field.

I think the Dallas Cowboys really wanted to bring back Cedrick Wilson but knew the price was going to be more than they were willing to pay. Wilson is 6’2”, so the possibility of a player like Wilson could be grabbed in free agency, but probably for their wide receiver three opening. There is no firm answer at the moment, but it will be something people will be watching this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys.

• Published on 03/15/2022 at 12:15 PM
• Last updated at 03/15/2022 at 12:30 PM