Stephen Jones reflects on Dallas Cowboys' 2022 offseason decisions, Amari Cooper trade

Although not many moves have been made yet, the Dallas Cowboys will have a busy offseason full of deals. They have 20 unrestricted free agents and several more players to negotiate with over the next few months.

Looking back at the 2022 offseason and the most notable trade, Amari Cooper to the Browns, Cowboys executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones opened up about where he believes the team could have done better.

“I think (Michael) Gallup, we should’ve been a little more conservative, Jones said at the Scouting Combine, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “You know, most guys coming off of an ACL, especially skill guys, maybe takes a little time. I think Gallup’s going to be back (in form in 2023).

“But getting a little confidence in our drafting, thinking (Jalen) Tolbert could step right in and do some things. I think it just sometimes it takes a little longer with the receivers.”

Jones’s answer was not dissimilar from his father’s comments earlier this month.

“You could say that we probably had too much reliance on what Tolbert could do, because we were high on him coming out and thought he could immediately be a factor,” Jerry Jones said. “We had thought possibly that we could have better results relative to Gallup, as far as his rehab and where he is. So I can say that.”

Jerry Jones: ‘I like what we did’ on Amari Cooper deal

Cooper had 1,160 yards on 78 catches this season for Cleveland. Meanwhile, Michael Gallup had 424 yards on 39 catches and Tolbert had just two catches in eight games played.

As for the value of the trade, the Cowboys owner defended the returns, i.e. the free agents they signed with the cap space.

“The elephant in the room that you’re talking about, was when I look at the salary that was involved there — over $20 million a year,” Jones said. “And I look at what we got with that salary to help this team, that we wouldn’t have been able to have on this team had we kept him. I like what we did.”

Dorance Armstrong, Leighton Vander Esch and Jayron Kearse, as well as veterans Anthony Barr and Jason Peters were just some of the impactful free agents that Dallas signed last offseason.