Did the Cowboys or Browns win the Amari Cooper trade?
The Dallas Cowboys have officially traded Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick, according to NBC Sports. The Cowboys were able to find a trade partner for the very expensive, former first-round draft pick. Andrew Berry (General Manager of the Browns) was able to find a top-notch WR for Baker Mayfield.
The Cowboys are paying Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliot, Demarcus Lawrence, and many others a boatload of money. In the near future, they will also have to break the bank for Trevon Diggs, Ceedee Lamb, and many other players. It was wise to move the highly paid Cooper, especially when the Boys have Lamb and likely Michael Gallup (FA in 2022) back in the offense moving forward.
Meanwhile, the Browns made a fine choice to bring in a talented WR at their aching WR spot. There is no secret that Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t helping the Browns offense and it appears Jarvis Landry will follow his former LSU brother out the door this offseason. According to NFL rumors, the Browns are “highly likely” to release Landry.
All in all, the Cooper trade was fascinating and it also means another blockbuster trade has occurred this offseason. So, the question is: which team won the trade? Here are the grades I would hand to each squad:
- Dallas Cowboys: A –
I really believe the Cowboys were successful in finding multiple late-round picks for Cooper. They may be able to use the picks to find one or two late-round draft gems in the upcoming draft. They could use the picks to potentially move up to draft a RB, WR, TE, or kicker to replace Greg the Leg. They were also wise (or lucky) for trading Cooper out of the conference.
- Cleveland Browns: B
The Cleveland Browns were assertive and creative in finding a top-notch WR in any way possible this offseason. It would be a challenge to be more attractive than talented and wealthy squads in luring a FA WR like JuJu Smith-Schuster or Allen Robinson in the 2022 free agency period. The Browns were able to find a talented WR to help Mayfield and the talented Browns squad bounce back next season after being one of the most underperforming teams in 2021. They can also choose to draft to not draft a WR in round one in the 2022 NFL draft with Cooper on the squad if they choose.
I don’t believe that the Browns decision to pay a non-Top-10 WR $20 million on their roster is the best idea, but he will still be a playmaker for the Browns in 2022 and beyond. I would have preferred the Browns to trade for Brandin Cooks or Robby Anderson.
