Noise Around Amari Cooper & Demarcus Lawrence
Amari Cooper and Demarcus Lawrence have been a part of many controversial conversations surrounding the Cowboys off-season. Cooper and Lawrence both have massive contracts that will take a hit on the Cowboys salary cap in the 2022-2023 season. There have been reports that Cooper and Lawrence could both be cap causalities this off-season. Would this be a logical move by the Dallas Cowboys?
The simple answer is that this may be one of the most illogical moves the Cowboys could make this off-season. Cooper and Lawrence have proved to be valuable players for the Cowboys and cutting them would simply cause more issues for this team. Amari Cooper has a cap hit of $22 million in the 2022-2023 season and the Cowboys would save $16 million if Cooper were to be cut. Demarcus Lawrence has a $27 million cap hit and the Cowboys would save $8 million if he were to be cut.
The Joneses have demonstrated in the past that they are great at managing the salary cap and restructuring deals. Jerry Jones should look to restructure these contracts to push the cap hit into future seasons, worry about the dead cap at a later date.
Prior to Amari Coopers arrival, life for the Dallas Cowboys was difficult. In 2018, the Cowboys headed into their bye week sitting at 3-4. The Cowboys at time were in 3rd place in their division heading into week 9, with an unrealistic path to the playoffs. The Cowboys traded their first-round pick to the Raiders to acquire WR Amari Cooper and the rest was history. The Cowboys finished 7-2 in their last 9 games, including a 5-game win streak. Although the Cowboys fell short to the Rams, who later went on to the Super Bowl, the offense proved to be very productive in this stretch. Amari Cooper stats in that 9-game span were 725 yards, 13.7 Y/R, 6 TDs, and a 70% catch percentage. This includes Cooper’s absurd performance versus divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles, 217 yards receiving and 3 TDs. Cooper was not present for 2 football games for the Cowboys. Ceedee Lamb had an opportunity to show that he could be the focal point of an offense versus the Kanas City Chiefs. He was only able to catch 3 passes for 14 yards in one half.
Since Demarcus Lawrence received his big contract from the Dallas Cowboys, his number in sacks have dipped. However, he has proved to be very consistent with the amount of pressure that he generates. Lawrence is a very value run stopper as well, double digit TFL in every one of his full seasons since he has got paid. Demarcus Lawrence becomes more valuable for the Dallas Cowboys because of Micah Parsons. Micah Parsons was an all-pro defensive player in his first season in the NFL. Assuming Parsons escalates his play, he will attract more attention from opposing offenses which will allow Demarcus Lawrence to face fewer double teams.
