Should the Dallas Cowboys take a flier on Jeremy Maclin?

After the Kansas City Chiefs released two-time Pro-Bowl receiver Jeremy Maclin, should the Dallas Cowboys kick the tires on him?

The Dallas Cowboys are already totally loaded on offense. Their receiving core, in particular, seems to be even better than last year, as they were able to re-sign number two wideout Terrance Williams to a team-friendly deal and also nabbed UNC receiver Ryan Switzer in the fourth round of the NFL draft.

However, Jeremy Maclin, who has shown he has the ability to be an elite receiver in the NFL, has recently been released by the Kansas City Chiefs. The question is– would he be an upgrade over what Dallas already has in place?

One things all great teams usually have in common, particularly on offense, is continuity. The Cowboys certainly have that, where there’s only two projected new starters going into 2017 — and they’re both on the offensive line. However, it’s not every day a 29-year old former Pro Bowl receiver hits the open market this late in the offseason.

And although Maclin had a down year last year, it could be chalked up to nagging injuries, as the wideout only played in 12 out of 16 games. His 44 catches for 536 yards were both career-lows, but he’s just two years removed from an impressive 1,000 yard campaign. In 2016, he caught 87 passes for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns, and was the first Chiefs receiver to catch a touchdown in over two seasons.

So one could say a down year for a Chiefs’ receiver isn’t totally on them.

Another reason for Maclin’s underperforming season could be chalked up to the emergence of tight end Travis Kelce, who had a career year with 85 catches and 1,125 receiving yards. Kelce became the favorite target of quarterback Alex Smith, who is notorious for his preference to dink and dunk to his running back and tight ends. Let’s just say “deep throw” and “Alex Smith” are rarely used in the same sentence.

Although Terrance Williams has proven to be a good complimentary receiver for the ‘Boys, there’s no doubt Maclin would provide an instant upgrade. He has the ability to stretch the field like Williams, but is also much more of a reliable possession receiver.

To put it in further perspective, Williams stat-line last season was as follows– 44 receptions, 594 yards and four touchdowns. Pretty darn close to Maclin’s “down year”.

But the thing is, Williams managed to play in all 16 games in comparison to Maclin’s 12.

While one could argue it’s still a red-flag that Maclin only played in 12 games, keep in mind, that was also a career-low for him. Other than in 2011, when he only played in just 13 contests, Maclin has played in at least 15 games every season. It’s not outrageous to think Maclin is primed for a bounce-back season.

And with Tony Romo’s salary finally coming off the books, Dallas now has an extra $14 million in cap space, so they could conceivably sign Maclin to a deal if they felt he was a fit.

Although the move seems unlikely at this point, owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have certainly done crazier things in the past.

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Besides, it’s a pretty low-risk, high-reward scenario. Especially if they can get Maclin on a one-year deal, which they most likely can. If I was Jones, I’d take a flier. But unfortunately I’m not, so I can merely write about it.