Dallas Cowboys: Allen Hurns release opens up possibilities
The Dallas Cowboys are releasing wide receiver Allen Hurns as the team enters training camp, opening intriguing possibilities for the 2019 season.
As the Dallas Cowboys were largely devoid of offensive weapons in the receiving game entering the 2018 season, their big move to address that was signing Allen Hurns. Jerry and Stephen Jones inked the wideout to a two-year deal. Hurns, however, won’t see the second year of that contract with America’s Team.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Cowboys plan to release Hurns prior to the start of training camp. Per Over the Cap, Dallas will save $5 million on the salary cap while incurring just $1.25 milliion in dead cap.
In terms of the wide receiver room, things have changed dramatically for the Cowboys since initially signing Hurns last offseason. The Amari Cooper trade in the middle of 2018, the 2019 free-agent signing of Randall Cobb and even the emergence of Michael Gallup last season have all improved the group of pass-catchers for Dallas. Thus, Hurns was a bit expendable.
With Hurns no longer in the mix, the potential camp battle at wide receiver certainly becomes less dramatic. Guys like Cedrick Wilson, a 2018 sixth-round pick, and Noah Brown, a 2017 seventh-round selection, have a much clearer path to making the final 53-man roster at this point. Given their upside, that could bode well for the group as a whole.
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However, the opportunities created by Hurns’ release go beyond just the wide receiver position. With the $5 million in cap space that the move opens up, the Cowboys now have just north of $24 million in overall cap space to spend for the 2019 season. And while free agency is largely over, there are moves that can still be made.
Firstly, a player that could potentially be a fantastic risk-reward signing in Eric Berry is still available on the open market. With Hurns off the books, the Cowboys now have more financial flexibility to potentially ink him to a deal while still maintaining some breathing room under the salary cap.
Even if Dallas doesn’t choose to pursue Berry, the money that they now have at their disposal can still be utilized towards bettering the roster for the 2019 season. As training camps begin, that means that roster cuts are looming not far down the road. Perhaps Dallas could find safety help, defensive line depth or simply a great value on the waiver wire.
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No matter what happens, the Cowboys now have more options than they did previously with the release of Hurns. Though it’s not a headline-stealer, it’s a move that should ultimately better a team looking to defend their NFC East crown and make a deep run in the postseason.