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Mike McCarthy discusses how Amari Cooper trade will impact CeeDee Lamb moving forward

Nikki Chavanelleby:Nikki Chavanelle03/29/22

NikkiChavanelle

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The Dallas Cowboys return a lot of key contributors for the 2022 season – with one glaring exception being former star wideout Amari Cooper. On Tuesday, head coach Mike McCarthy discussed what trading Cooper to the Browns means for third-year wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

“I think it changes his landscape on and off the field,” McCarthy said, via Michael Gehlken. “That’s the position (flanker) where you have more primary receiver opportunities.”

Lamb, the Cowboys’ first-round pick in the 2020 draft, already led the team last season with Cooper on the team, but without him, he could push into the top-10 rankings in 2022. In 2021, he had his first 1,000-plus yard season, posting 1,102 yards on 79 receptions with six touchdowns. He finished No. 17 in total receiving yards and didn’t crack the top 20 in scores.

Though Lamb had more yards than Cooper with 865, he had two more touchdowns and only 16 fewer targets. His absence will limit Dak Prescott’s options but gives the former Sooners star a massive chance to impress as he approaches free agency in 2023. Lamb is going on year three of his four-year, $14 million rookie deal.

Jerry Jones updates status of Michael Gallup post-ACL tear

Behind CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys are hoping Michael Gallup can make a strong comeback off of his ACL tear and contribute some of what Amari Cooper’s trade left behind. So far, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks they can get Gallup back on the field in the first few weeks of the season.

“Optimistically, I expect him to give us a question mark around the first game,” Jerry said on Monday. “Conservatively you’d like to (wait) a couple more games to get him out there.”

Gallup’s new deal with the Cowboys is five years and is worth $57.5 million. Despite battling multiple injuries this season, his body of work prior to the 2021 season was enough to secure him the big deal he was looking for.

Gallup suffered two major injuries during the 2021 season, most recently tearing his ACL on Jan. 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. In the season opener against the Tampa Buccaneers, Gallup suffered a calf injury that held him out for the majority of the season. He only appeared in nine games this year for the Cowboys.

In the nine games he did play in, Gallup totaled 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns. In 2019, he posted the first 1,000-yard+ season of his NFL career.