19. Dallas Cowboys sign Randall Cobb
The offseason started slow for the Dallas Cowboys, as they weren’t dipping their toes in the first wave of free agency. Their philosophy for team building usually has them playing in this passive mode, which can be frustrating for fans — especially when they lose one of their favorite players such as Cole Beasley.
A former undrafted free agent from SMU, Beasley headed to the Buffalo Bills for more money than the Cowboys were willing to pay him. He also hard some parting shots, as he expressed displeasure in his targets last season, as well as the lack of a competitive contract offer from the front office.
Despite taking some criticism, Dallas ended up rebounding from this move, as the Cowboys replaced Beasley with Randall Cobb. Not only did they land a player with more of a pedigree than Beasley, but they did so by spending less money.
Cobb, who is also one-year younger than Beasley, signed for just $5 million. He’s also on a one-year deal which allows the Cowboys some flexibility next year, as they look to lock up players such as Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and Jaylon Smith.
This move didn’t come without some risk though, as Cobb has missed time in the past three seasons. 2018 was the worst example of this, as he played in just nine games. Having said that, he’s explosive when he’s on the field and he showed that with a nine-reception, 142-yard game — including a season-long 75-yard reception — in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.