A few weeks ago, it became apparent that the Dallas Cowboys were going to have to release or trade some premier talent due to salary cap reasons. Most notably for the Cowboys is WR Amari Cooper. Cooper started his career with the Raiders before being traded to Dallas in 2018. On March 12th, just days before the new year starts, the Cowboys decided to move on from Cooper, trading him to the Cleveland Browns. Let us analyze the deal, why Cooper fits Cleveland, and what this means for the Cowboys going forward.

Trade Details

Dallas Receives: 

• 2022 5th Round Pick

• 2022 6th Round Pick

Cleveland Receives:

• WR Amari Cooper

• 2022 6th Round Pick

Breaking Down Cooper

It was very obvious that the Cleveland Browns needed a number one receiver at the end of the season. They do have some nice pieces like WR Donovan Peoples-Jones and TE David Njoku, but that is really it at the moment with WR Jarvis Landry likely headed elsewhere. Cleveland receivers struggled last season to win one-on-one matchups and did not have that “go-to” receiver to hit when they needed a third-down conversion, especially after the release of WR Odell Beckham Jr. 

As for Cooper, he is widely regarded as one of the best route runners in football, showing the ability to create separation. Even in a down year with a loaded Dallas receiving core, Cooper had 865 yards and 8 touchdowns in 15 games. His eight touchdowns tied a career-high, which is a number he also hit in 2019. For a career, he has 7,076 yards and 46 receiving touchdowns. The one thing that probably caused the draft picks to be lower is that Cooper is owed $20M, which is a lot for a receiver. Regardless, this move is a really nice fit for the Cleveland Browns and a reliable weapon for QB Baker Mayfield.

Jarvis Landry

Unfortunately, the trade for WR Amari Cooper most likely means Jarvis Landry’s tenure as a Cleveland Brown is over. Landry has a $16.3M cap hit, which is a lot for a number two receiver, especially with Cooper’s salary as well. Landry and the Browns have discussed a restructure, so that is still up in the air. Landry wants to add years to his deal, but Cleveland is hesitant at the moment. After the Cooper trade, Cleveland also gave Landry permission to seek a trade as well. If it is in fact the end for Landry in Cleveland, he would have played four years, hauling in 288 catches for 3,560 yards, 15 receiving touchdowns, and 4 rushing touchdowns. He was also a major part in bringing Cleveland back to relevance, as he was a part of the Browns first playoff appearance in over 20 years. In two playoff games, he scored two touchdowns. While he still has a chance to stay in Cleveland, all signs are pointing the other way.

Beginning of the End for Dallas?

The Cowboys have historically drafted very well. With that comes expensive paydays, which are now starting to catch up to the Cowboys. Cooper was the first domino to fall, but players like DE Demarcus Lawrence and OT La’el Collins could be next. Because of QB Dak Prescott and HB Ezekiel Elliott’s hefty contracts, it gives the Cowboys less wiggle room, causing really good football players to be “cap casualties”. Luckily for Dallas, they still have a ton of talent on their roster and can easily pivot off some of these players, but how many players are too many until it becomes an issue? The Cowboys will have to revamp their roster quickly, or else they can fall into a tough situation going forward.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Contract Info from spotrac.com

Trade Details from cbssports.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

For the second straight offseason, former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney found himself without a job and unable to strike a long-term deal. Last season, it took until late summer for Clowney to find a job when he inked a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. This year, it did not take as long, as the Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with the 3x Pro Bowler on a one-year deal. Let us look at the details of the deal and what it means for the Browns.

Contract Details

Regarding the details of the contract, the deal is a one-year contract, worth $8 million with incentives that can bring that number up to $10 million. From the $8 million, $4.5 million will be a signing bonus while the other $2.5 million of guaranteed money be Clowney’s base salary. It is a good deal for both teams as Clowney gets a chance to prove himself while Cleveland barely has any cap hit from him going into the 2021 season.

How Does He Fit?

When Clowney was coming out of college, he was known as a defensive end that is going to go after the quarterback. For numerous reasons, Clowney has not been that guy but has been efficient in the run game, clogging the lanes and filling the gaps. With DT Sheldon Richardson getting released, this role becomes even more imminent. In the past, including last season with the Titans, Clowney was asked to be the top pass rusher and take on double teams. With Cleveland, Clowney will not have to worry about that, as he will be lining up on the opposite side of all-pro DE Myles Garrett. The Browns are a win now team as well, giving Clowney an even bigger opportunity for success.

What’s Next?

For the entire offseason, GM Andrew Berry and crew have placed an enormous emphasis on defense. Including the Clowney signing, the Browns have also signed S John Johnson III, CB Troy Hill, and LB Anthony Walker. While not done, the Browns have had a successful offseason. The question is, what is next? In around two weeks, the Browns will look to bolster their team even more with the NFL Draft. Cleveland can go a few ways. They can look to add speed at the linebacker position, depth to their secondary, or even look to find a burner at receiver to stretch the field. It will be an interesting decision that Cleveland has to make, but one that can make a huge difference.

contract details from 247sports.com

info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

When free agency opens, the NFL world becomes chaos. Numerous reactions are shown across the league from analysts, fans, and more in a negative and positive fashion. There are obvious winners every year, but some teams fall under the radar-based on big signings, or for one team, re-signings that will make their team exceptionally better. Let us look at four teams that fall into this category with some quietly sneaky moves.

Los Angeles Chargers

While they did not have the most glamorous free agency to this point, the Chargers addressed a huge need on the offensive line while also relacing TE Hunter Henry, who signed with the Patriots this offseason. The big signing on the offensive line is former Packers, C Corey Linsley. Linsley was regarded as one of the top centers in football last year, anchoring an impressive Packers offensive line. Now, he will do the same for the Chargers, who look to keep young QB, Justin Herbert, upright and create lanes for RB Austin Ekeler. The Chargers offensive line is a work in progress but adding Linsley is huge in building a foundation and one to build upon. Another move that was vital to the Chargers was signing TE Jared Cook to replace Henry. Cook is one of the more reliable tight ends in football and is a nice safety blanket for Herbert to go to when he is in trouble or in the red zone. It was not the biggest splashes, but the Chargers addressed key needs with key players, making for an effective offseason. 

Cleveland Browns

After his first offseason as a GM, Andrew Berry has followed it up with more success, making key moves and re-signings during the free agency period. The Browns’ biggest weakness in 2020 was the back end of their defense and Berry was aggressive from the jump to upgrade. Cleveland landed a pair of players from the Rams secondary, S John Johnson and CB Troy Hill to multi-year contracts. Both players are coming off good seasons and will a lot of quality snaps to the Browns, who will also be getting back S Grant Delpit and CB Greedy Williams, who were both injured for all of 2020. The Browns also came into agreement with LB Anthony Walker, a former Colt, strengthening a depleted linebacker room. The most underrated move they made was re-signing WR Rashard Higgins, who was an important piece to the Browns offense in 2020 and played a huge part in QB Baker Mayfield’s success. Despite all this, the Browns may not be done as they are in the mix for DE Jadeveon Clowney as well.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Usually, teams that win the Super Bowl start to lose players to free agency, but that is not the case for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs had numerous key free agents and signed all of them back to contracts, notably Shaq Barrett on defense and Rob Gronkowski on defense. Today, they completed the clean sweep of bringing their players back by signing RB Leonard Fournette. The Bucs did not go outside their team, but with their re-signings, they will now return all 22 starters and make another run at the Super Bowl. They have gone under the radar because they did not sign anyone new, but keeping their guys is going to be huge for their team’s further success.

Washington Football Team

After the Washington Football team limped into the playoffs at 7-9, the team decided to move on from QB Alex Smith, leaving a vacancy at quarterback. With the draft coming up, there is a chance WFT takes a quarterback, but that did not stop them from signing QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, the ageless wonder, to be their starting QB. Washington also added WR Curtis Samuel, CB William Jackson, and CB Ronald Darby to headline their free-agent class so far. With a quarterback that can push the ball down the field, plus more weapons on both sides of the ball to go along with an already good roster, Washington is putting themselves in a good position for success in 2021.

Info from spotrac.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas