The Dallas Cowboys have several wide receivers dealing with injury concerns at the moment which could lead to them adding one of these three free agents
With the summer months approaching, the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver corps is starting to feel the heat.
During their recent OTA practices, rookie wideout Jalen Tolbert was held out as he was rehabbing an injury while free-agent addition James Washington was seen on the sidelines in a walking boot.
This is in addition to Michael Gallup still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered near the end of the 2021 season.
It might not be time to panic but with a receiving corps that’s trying to make up for the loss of Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, they might want to be proactive and see who is still on the free-agent market. Here, are three options that could come in and help them during the 2022 season.
Dallas Cowboys WR option No. 3: Albert Wilson
There was a time when Albert Wilson was one of the better up-and-coming slot receivers in the game. He had 42 receptions for 554 yards and three touchdowns in 2017 for the Kansas City Chiefs and turned that into a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
His final season with them was 2021 (after sitting out the 2020 campaign) and he finished with just 25 receptions for 213 yards.
The low output could be why teams haven’t made a huge push for Wilson but his ability to play in the slot could provide the Cowboys with a solid outlet receiver for Dak Prescott.
On top of that, he could bring some veteran leadership to a very young corps.
Dallas Cowboys WR option No. 2: Julio Jones
When the Tennessee Titans traded for Julio Jones in 2021, it seemed as though their offense was going to be unstoppable. They already had Derrick Henry — one of the best backs in the NFL — and A.J. Brown who was becoming a star at wide receiver.
Tennessee did end up winning the No. 1 seed but Jones wasn’t a huge part of that success. He missed seven games and in 10 contests had just 31 receptions for 434 yards and a touchdown. He was released following the season and has yet to find his new home.
Of course, the output he had in Tennessee was a bust considering they gave up a second-round pick for Jones as a sixth-rounder.
Having said that, Dallas could bring him in without having to give up any assets — and if he ends up not looking like the player he once was, he wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot on the team.
This one feels like a low-risk move with the potential for a high reward. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Jones was recently one of the best wideouts in the entire NFL. He is 33-years of age which isn’t ideal, but again, Dallas would simply be rolling the dice here with very little to lose.
Dallas Cowboys WR option No. 1: Will Fuller
One thing Amari Cooper brought to the table was his home run speed. Pairing him with CeeDee Lamb gave them two players who could take a short pass, make one guy miss, and then be gone.
They do hope Jalen Tolbert can be an all-around weapon, and while Michael Gallup is great at catching the deep ball, he’s more of a contested-catch guy than someone who can just kick it into a different gear.
Dallas fans vividly remember the games where Cooper burned the Eagles for over 200-yards and could just take over a game.
The team is going to miss that, but there’s still one player on the open market who can provide that kind of spark.
Will Fuller, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Houston Texans before spending one forgettable campaign with the Miami Dolphins. While in Houston, he pulled in 209 receptions for 3,110 yards and 24 touchdowns. With the Dolphins, he appeared in only two games with 26 yards on four receptions.
The one thing that has held Fuller back is his durability. He has never played in more than 14 games — and that came back in 2016 when he was a rookie. But when he’s on the field, there’s no denying he’s a potential game-breaker.
In 2020 with Houston, Fuller had 879 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 16.6 yards per catch — and hit a career-high 77-yard touchdown.
Other teams such as Cleveland are in the mix due to his friendship with Deshaun Watson but Dallas makes even more sense considering he would play in warmer weather where his speed can truly shine.