Is the Dallas Cowboys’ new wide receivers coach a downgrade?
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly will hire a new wide receiver coach soon. But is his addition actually a downgrade? It appears so.
The Dallas Cowboys most underperforming positional group from last season was it’s wide receiver corps. So when longtime receivers coach Derek Dooley left Dallas earlier this month to take over as offensive coordinator at Missouri, it gave the Cowboys an opportunity to fill his void with a talented coach who may be able to turn things around.
According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Cowboys will add Sanjay Lal as their new wide receivers coach. That according to multiple unnamed sources. Unfortunately, the 48-year old has a troubling history of helming underperforming receiver groups himself.
Lal enter the NFL in 2007, becoming the offensive quality control coach for the Oakland Raiders. Two years later, he was promoted to wide receivers coach. And Lal has held that position for several teams in the past nine years.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of every team Lal has been the wide receivers coach for. We’ve also listed the team’s receiving offensive ranking in the NFL for that particular season, whom the quarterback was for a majority of their games that year as well as listing the team’s top wide receiver and his numbers.
Oakland Raiders (2009)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 29th
- Top Quarterback: JaMarcus Russell
- Leading Wide Receiver: Louis Murphy – 34 recs, 521 yards, 4 tds
Oakland Raiders (2010)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 22nd
- Top Quarterback: Jason Campbell
- Leading Wide Receiver: Louis Murphy – 41 recs, 609 yards, 2 tds
Oakland Raiders (2011)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 11th
- Top Quarterback: Carson Palmer
- Leading Wide Receiver: Darrius Heyward-Bey – 64 recs, 975 yards, 4 tds
New York Jets (2012)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 30th
- Top Quarterback: Mark Sanchez
- Leading Wide Receiver: Jeremy Kerley – 56 recs, 827 yards, 2 tds
New York Jets (2013)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 30th
- Top Quarterback: Geno Smith
- Leading Wide Receiver: Jeremy Kerley – 43 recs, 523 yards, 3 tds
New York Jets (2014)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 32nd
- Top Quarterback: Geno Smith
- Leading Wide Receiver: Eric Decker – 74 recs, 962 yards, 5 tds
Buffalo Bills (2015)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 29th
- Top Quarterback: Tyrod Taylor
- Leading Wide Receiver: Sammy Watkins – 60 recs, 1047 yards, 9 tds
Buffalo Bills (2016)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 31st
- Top Quarterback: Tyrod Taylor
- Leading Wide Receiver: Robert Woods – 51 recs, 613 yards, 1 tds
Indianapolis Colts (2017)
- Receiving Offense Ranked: 30th
- Top Quarterback: Jacoby Brissett
- Leading Wide Receiver: T.Y. Hilton – 34 recs, 966 yards, 4 tds
From the above list, we can clearly see that the majority of wide receiver corps under Lal’s coaching have been among the worst in the NFL. In fact, for the past six seasons, his teams have an average ranking of 30th in receiving offense. And in Lal’s nine seasons as a receiver coach, only one wide out has ever posted more than 1,000 receiving yards under his tutelage (Sammy Watkins, 2015).
We certainly should also point out the poor quarterback talent for these teams as well. When Carson Palmer was under center for the Raiders back in 2011, Lal’s wide receiver corps ranked 11th that season. And Oakland’s receivers continued to play well after Lal’s exit the following year.
But Lal is also entering a very different situation in Dallas with a third-year quarterback in Dak Prescott coming off a disappointing season. Prescott is a young passer whom many consider to be a very conservative game manager. And his wide receiver corps did him absolutely no favors in 2017, turning in one of their worst overall performances in recent memory.
Next: Cowboys coaching staff exposed by Eagles’ success
The Dallas Cowboys had an opportunity to really find themselves a transcendent coach who could turn this wide receiver corps around while also developing their younger talent. Instead, it appears the Cowboys may have actually downgraded their staff, adding a coach who has fostered lackluster wide receiver play for much of his career.