Dallas Cowboys: Anquan Boldin could help boost offense
Free agency is a strange animal because it is a battle between the franchise front offices, the players and their agents to get what is best for all involved. For the Dallas Cowboys, they will be going through some of those battles in the foreseeable future as well.
The Dallas Cowboys need to add depth and better overall production to their roster of wide receivers, or there will be a situation like last year where once the quarterback and the wide receiver are injured for an extended period of time, the offense becomes a shell of its former self.
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One way the Cowboys could go with the wide receiver boost, so to speak, is by looking at the possibility of signing Anquan Boldin through free agency, as he’s coming off a pretty productive season.
This isn’t what is deemed a long-term solution at all. In fact, being that he’s 35 years old, he could just bring in a good veteran presence and help the young guys on the team become old professionals. Who knows, maybe he could become a security blanket for Dez Bryant, freeing him up more than what Terrance Williams currently does on the opposite side of the offense.
Last season, with four quarterbacks who were injured or just plain bad, Williams totaled 52 receptions for 840 yards and three touchdowns on 94 total targets. He averaged 16.2 yards per reception in 16 games.
The next wide receiver in the stat column was Cole Beasley wth 52 receptions for 536 yards and five touchdowns from the slot. He averaged 10.3 yards per reception.
Boldin totaled 69 receptions for 789 yards and four touchdowns with the San Francisco 49ers, including an 11.4 yards per reception average in 14 games with Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert throwing him the football.
What the Cowboys could do with Boldin is have him as an insurance policy, because he’s been the top receiver in his prime with teams he’s played for in the past, but he could also come in and force teams to still cover him, freeing up coverages on Bryant and Williams, overall giving a boost to the offense.
Pro Football Focus graded Boldin at No. 33 for wide receivers of ’15, with a grade of 79.6 (on a 1-100 scale) for his play this past season. Graded near him were DeSean Jackson at 31st, Marvin Jones at 38th and Michael Crabtree at 39th, to name just a few wideouts.
Even as he ages, Boldin’s numbers are still very solid, even with his nearly 800 yards last season. In ’14 and ’13, his numbers were solid with 83 receptions (130 targets) for 1,062 yards and five touchdowns in ’14, and in ’13, Boldin totaled 1,179 yards on 85 receptions (129 targets) for seven touchdowns.
Also during those seasons, Boldin averaged 13.9 yards and 12.8 yards per reception, so there is still the possibility even though he’s dropped two yards per reception from ’13 to ’15, he’s still a solid player to have on a roster.
Dan Schmelzer of NFL Spin Zone wrote this last week of Boldin being a possible fit with the New England Patriots:
"“At this point in his career, Boldin is not going to threat a defense deep, but he is a good, consistent target who can make plays all across the field.”"
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Agreeing with that assessment, that is why Boldin would be a solid fit with the Cowboys, because, again, he doesn’t have to be the main guy, but he’ll be a receiver they can depend on. If nothing else, he can be a mentor to the young players on the offensive side but still provide production to an offense that lacked depth at times in ’15.