5 Cowboys who could have breakout seasons in 2021
By Connor Green
4. Cedrick Wilson, Wide Receiver
Sometimes NFL players can get lost behind talented starters ahead of them. That was likely the case for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cedrick Wilson in the 2020 season.
The second-year wideout had a promising start to this year. He had what seemed like a breakout game against the Seattle Seahawks when he managed to haul in an impressive five catches for 107 receiving yards to go along with two scores.
The Boise State product followed up that performance with only nine catches for 66 yards in his next three games. After that, Wilson virtually disappeared from the offense for the remainder of the season.
Obviously, the season-ending injury to the teams’ starting quarterback Dak Prescott had an impact on his production as it did for the entire offense. However, the young wideout also likely suffered because of the plethora of talent ahead of him at his position.
Dallas entered this year with one of the most talented receiving corps on paper. The team headed into 2020 with two wide receivers, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, who finished with over 1,000 yards the previous season. That group only got better when the organization selected CeeDee Lamb in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
That talented group of receivers will likely still be an impediment to Wilsons’ success in 2021 (although there is some speculation the team could trade Gallup). However, with the (likely) return of Pro Bowl quarterback Prescott under center, the offense should be expected to pick up where it left off when he was carted off the field against the New York Giants.
Prescott was on pace to shatter the single-season passing yardage record before his injury. He also posted career-highs in both passing yards with 4902 and touchdowns with 30 the previous year.
The Dallas Cowboys offense will be considerably more productive once it gets its starting signal-caller back on the field to start the 2021 season. Cedrick Wilson demonstrated his quickness and big-play ability with his impressive game against the Seahawks earlier this year. Both of those factors should make the young wideout a strong candidate to have a breakout season in 2021.