Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: CeeDee Lamb an upgrade over Amari Cooper

The Dallas Cowboys may have lost Amari Cooper this offseason, but owner Jerry Jones thinks that CeeDee Lamb will be a better No. 1 option at wide receiver.

Jones told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Thursday that Lamb will be an upgrade over Amari Cooper as the Cowboys’ top receiving threat.

Jones said that Lamb has the ability to be a more complete option as far as “production, in the huddle and off the field” than Cooper.

Although likely not meant to be a shot at Cooper, Jones obviously saw Lamb as the better player and fit for Dallas’ offense, especially at Cooper’s $20 million price.

Lamb’s ascension to the top of the depth chart was imminent. He had already started surpassing Cooper’s production last season.

The 23-year-old caught 79 passes for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. Cooper, on the other hand, had 68 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games. Lamb also had 120 targets compared to 104 for Cooper, proving that he had become the team’s go-to receiver over Cooper.

Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March.

It will be interesting to see, without Cooper, how Lamb fares this season with opposing defenses focused on him.