Dallas Cowboys receivers: Who is the odd man out?

The Dallas Cowboys have completely overhauled their receiver group for the 2018 season. With all these new faces, who’s off the opening day roster?

The Dallas Cowboys carried six receivers on their active roster in 2017. Wide receivers Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Brice Butler, Ryan Switzer, and Noah Brown. The group set to take the field in 2018 is very different though, and not everyone on the roster now will be there in September. Who’s the odd one out?

The new Cowboys receivers most likely to earn a spot in no particular order are Allen Hurns, Michael Gallup, Williams, Beasley, Deonte Thompson, Cedrick Wilson, and Brown. For the sake of this article, we will group ‘web-back’ Tavon Austin with the running backs and not the wide receivers.

To begin, there are three wide outs whom I believe are safe in their roles and have the talent needed to be a top-three receiver in the league. Though the team may not have a traditional ‘number one’ receiver, Allen Hurns has the size and red zone ability the team covets in its ‘X’ receiver.

Hurns can not only replace Bryant’s 2017 statistics, but is a more complete receiver than the 2017 version of Bryant in his route tree and catch consistency. He also has the ability to play the ‘Z’ and ‘Y’ positions and gives offensive coordinator Scott Linehan the position flex he’s looking for in this position group for 2018.

Gallup’s roster spot is all but safe as he is a top 100 selection and was a top thirty v for the team in the 2018 draft. His immediate role on the team will most likely be in competition with Williams for the number two or ‘Z’ position. I anticipate him to win the job out of camp because of his strong route running, aggressiveness after the catch, and an overall well-rounded game that should mesh well with quarterback Dak Prescott.

Gallup is also the future of the ‘X’ position as his strengths make him perfect for the position if he can reach his full potential. Though Hurns is comfortable at the ‘X’ and has the desired size and skill set, he is a natural ‘Y’; as indicated by his 1,000 yard 2015 season. If these two are able to translate their past success into the Cowboys offense, they will be a formidable one-two punch on the outside.