Never happening but Antonio Brown would make Cowboys Super Bowl favorites

Although it’s never going to happen, the addition of Antonio Brown on the Dallas Cowboys‘ roster would make them instant Super Bowl favorites.

When it comes to possible offseason additions for Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks’ safety Earl Thomas seems to be the favorite topic of discussion. But the Cowboys’ defense was actually considered elite at times last season without a dynamic playmaker in the secondary.

The woes in Dallas were mostly offensive. And even the addition of Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper only made a marginal bump in the team’s scoring output. So an argument could be made that if the Cowboys are going to make any sort of splash signing this offseason that it should be on the offensive side of the ball.

And outside of replacing Dak Prescott as the starting quarterback, the obvious position that could use a major upgrade is tight end. Still, there do not appear to be any transcendent tight ends scheduled to hit the open market next month. But the upcoming draft looks to be chock-full of interesting prospects. Unfortunately, Dallas doesn’t have a selection until late in the second round, 58th overall. If improving at tight end is going to be a focus, it’s likely to be done during the draft.

And the fact is tight end may not actually be a focus as the Cowboys’ coaching staff appears to be enamored with the potential of Blake Jarwin as their future Jason Witten. His three touchdown explosion in the team’s Week 17 victory over the New York Giants likely only served to pour gasoline on that fire.

Certainly, the Cowboys have other needs to fill on the offensive side of the ball. Running back Ezekiel Elliott needs a quality backup. And the depth at offensive line could be addressed, especially considering the fact All-Pro center Travis Frederick is still struggling to recover from an autoimmune disease.

As unlikely as it might sound, wide receiver could be where the biggest splash is made. Wideouts Cole Beasley, Tavon Austin, and Terrance Williams are all scheduled to hit the open market next month. And Allen Hurns could easily become a cap casualty.

That would leave Dallas with Cooper, Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Noah Brown and Lance Lenoir populating their current depth chart at wide receiver. That sounds like a solid group and one I feel confident the Cowboys wouldn’t mind going into training camp with.

But let me throw out a name out for you. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown. Yes, I realize this is a pipe dream. His massive contract combined with an equally-sized diva attitude would send Cowboys’ executive vice president Stephen Jones to an early retirement home.

But let me ask you one question: Would adding Brown to this receiver corps make the Cowboys Super Bowl favorites in 2019? I think the answer is a confident yes. Think about it. The missing piece to the puzzle in Dallas appears to be an explosive passing game. Maybe you could throw in a more effective special teams unit as well, but that’s a topic for another story.

I know many of you will point out that Prescott is still the quarterback of this team. And if he is unable to connect with open receivers consistently, you could have a 1980’s Jerry Rice out there and it wouldn’t matter. And you are right. But if you believe Prescott needs to be replaced in Dallas, you should support the idea of adding someone like Antonio Brown to the roster.

If the Cowboys made that kind of commitment to improving their passing game and Prescott still continues to struggle, it makes it much more likely Dak would be replaced. And quickly.

Brown is scheduled to make $12.6 million in 2019, with a salary cap hit of a whopping $22.1 million. He is under contract through 2021. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound receiver is also turning 31-years old in July. And to say his relationship with the Steelers is contemptuous is an understatement. All of these reasons are why the Cowboys will not make this move.

But here’s the thing. Antonio Brown has averaged over 114 receptions and 11 touchdowns per season for the past six years. Think about that. Brown is a once-in-a-generation type player. He has undoubtedly been the most consistent and elite receiver in the league during that span. If the Dallas Cowboys did trade for Brown, it would be Super Bowl or bust for America’s Team in 2019. And with #AB84 in tow, most would think the former (Super Bowl) rather than the latter (bust).