FRISCO (Texas) — Discussing the reasons for trading receiver Amari Cooper, Dallas CowboysJerry Jones, general manager and owner, may have given a hint as to their draft strategy.
“Amari is a great player. He is a great player but not a good one. He’s one of the top players,” Jones told reporters at the NFL’s owners meetings in Palm Beach, Florida. “We need to get that much. If we have the money, we must help this player. OK? And we made a decision that that allocation should be better spent.”
It was a polite way of saying Cooper was not worth, in the team’s view, the $20 million base salary he was due in 2022.
Whether Cooper’s drop-off in productivity in 2021 was because of his play, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s scheme, quarterback Dak Prescott’s decision-making or poor offensive line play doesn’t really matter to Jones. He was worth the $20 million. The Cowboys decided he wasn’t and whether they are right or wrong will be answered this season by how Cooper is replaced.
Allocation is key as the Cowboys prepare to pick the 24th overall selection in the first round later in the month.
Nothing is black and white, just like everything else with the draft. Allocation can be done in a variety of shades.
The Cowboys were selected in 2016 Ezekiel ElliottNo. At No. 4 overall, which is a high price to pay for a running back position that typically has a short life span. They took Elliott to help prolong Tony Romo’s career, and then the quarterback never started a game with Elliott because of a preseason back injury.
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Also, by taking Elliott so high, the Cowboys were married to him for a second contract and now Elliott’s $90 million contract signed in 2019 looks bloated. The Cowboys could’ve selected a cornerback Jalen RamseyRyan Clark, The Pivot Podcast’s Ryan Clark interviewed a man named Jeremy who said that the Cowboys had assured him that they would select him.
In 2020 and ’21, the Cowboys did not need to draft a first-round receiver, especially after paying Cooper, or a linebacker, especially with Jaylon SmithHe was in the middle his second contract. However, they did not take in the first draft. CeeDee Lamb Micah ParsonsCooper and Smith were eventually made redundant by,
The Cowboys’ needs now are obvious: offensive line, receiver, tight end, defensive line and linebacker.
They must find starters and major role players for all four spots. 24 is too high for a tight end, it’s not for any other position.
What about defensive tackle?
While it seems as if the club’s philosophy has only recently been to devalue nose tackles, the Cowboys have not used a first-round pick on a defensive tackle since taking Russell Maryland No. 1, in 1991.
Georgia’s defensive tackle is among the top national visitors to The Star. Jordan Davis. He is 6’6 and 341 pounds. He loves to eat blockers. He was a star among the stars in a defense which could have at least four first round picks within a few months.
But is he worth the Cowboys first-round allocation?
Over the last three years, the Cowboys’ starting nose tackles have played between 38.1% and 44.3% of the snaps on the season. It is possible to argue that it could be. Carlos Watkins, Antwaun Woods Christian CovingtonDavis will not be misunderstood, the Cowboys use sub-package defense more than their base defense.
Georgia’s Davis had two sacks last season.
“Jordan Davis has the size and power of an interior disruptor, who can create havoc against the run game,” ESPN analyst Matt Bowen said. “The question is in terms of draft value points to his deployment in pass-game situations. Davis wasn’t used in sub-package sets at Georgia. Does he display enough pass-rush traits that can be developed with pro coaching to play a three-down role in the NFL?”
Are the Cowboys willing to change their system? Davis is such a great run defender, that it would outweigh his pass rush. Does he have more pass-rush skill than he exhibited at Georgia because he wasn’t asked to do it?
The Cowboys brought Davis to The Star to at least attempt to answer those questions.
But, will they allocate the funds if he’s available?
They’d have to go against their history.