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There has been a lot of conversation this offseason about how the Dallas Cowboys have one of the best, if not the very best, wide receiver groups in the NFL. Such is the case because the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb in the first round of the NFL Draft a few months ago, but with no disrespect to the new number 88, the team may have been in the conversation without him. Why is that the case? Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
Dallas ended last season with one of the best wide receiver duos throughout the National Football League. Duos are always a fascinating thing to discuss in football because it is always impressive when teams are able to have not just one, but two, amazing receivers. Thankfully the Cowboys appear on their way to having three.
David Carr left Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup out of his top five wide receiver duos
Recently on the NFL Network a panel discussed which team has the best wide receiver duos throughout the league. Kurt Warner and LaDainian Tomlinson both suggested the Cleveland Browns pair of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and they are obviously among the best in today’s game.
Former coach Steve Mariucci went a different direction and suggested the Arizona Cardinals. With all respect to future Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, who he is in the here and now isn’t exactly someone that helps his pair outshine others.
What others are there, you ask? David Carr ranked his top five, leaving off Cleveland but including Arizona.
- Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley
- Los Angeles Rams: Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin
- New Orleans Saints: Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders
- Arizona Cardinals: DeAndre Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald
It is certainly fair to include the likes of Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans. The Saints and Falcons have what might be the two best receivers in the game, and the Buccaneers saw their group really blow up last year as Chris Godwin elevated his own game next to Mike Evans.
Maybe you feel that the Rams are a worthy inclusion as well. For what it’s worth, three of these five duos (Falcons, Rams, Buccaneers) were among the top five duos in the NFL in receiving yardage last year. We know that yardage in no way tells the whole story, but in the segment where NFL Network discussed it they referenced it.
The other two duos who topped in yardage last year, using their barometer here, were the aforementioned Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. America’s Team actually finished second only to Tampa Bay as Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup both experienced great successes individually.
While the Cardinals are definitely going to be much different this season (we will see when Dallas hosts them on Monday Night Football), the idea of putting their duo above Cleveland or Dallas is silly to be honest. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the greatest receivers to ever play the game, but who he is in the here and now is not better than any of the four Browns or Cowboys that we are talking about.
Perhaps the Cowboys can simply only be evaluated as a trio as opposed to a duo. Maybe it was too difficult of a decision to pick two of Dallas’ three. Who knows.