Cowboys sign ex-Steelers WR as first ‘free agent splash’ of offseason
As of Friday at 6:07 pm CST, the Dallas Cowboys were the only team in the NFL who had yet to make a single out-of-house free agent signing. The fan base grew increasingly frustrated with the front office. From losing out on Randy Gregory to trading Amari Cooper to missing out on several affordable free agents, Cowboys Nation was wondering when the front office would do anything. At 6:08 pm CST, Dallas finally made a signing. Tyrann Mathieu?! Bobby Wagner?! Odell Beckham Jr?! Nope.
Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys would be signing former Pittsburgh Steelers WR James Washington. **cue sad trombone sound** Washington is returning to his home state of Texas to help create more depth at wide receiver after the Cowboys lost Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. Ironically, former Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant predicted this signing on Twitter four days ago. Bryant and Washington both went to Oklahoma State University (also the Cowboys).
The wide receiver was a second-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2018 NFL Draft. He played 60 games for the Steelers but was never a standout. In four seasons, he collected 114 receptions, 1,629 yards, and 11 touchdowns.
Jon Machota, a Cowboys reporter for The Athletic, seems to think Washington was more of a replacement for Wilson than Cooper. He expects that the team will address Cooper’s backup in the upcoming draft.
Cowboys are adding a veteran WR to replace the loss of Cedrick Wilson. Look for them to fill Amari Cooper’s spot in the draft https://t.co/utG1Ycf3vU
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 18, 2022
Dallas Cowboys become the last team to sign an external player as they sign ex-Steelers WR James Washington to a one-year deal
While it’s nice to finally have a free agent secured from outside The Star, it’s hard to call this an exciting move. Washington certainly brings much-needed depth at receiver, but he is no Blockbuster signing.
The former Steeler joins Dallas on a one-year extension. It was previously reported that Washington asked to be traded before the 2021 season, so his exit isn’t entirely surprising. However, he is now the third receiver to exit Pittsburgh with JuJu Smith-Schuster headed to the Kansas City Chiefs and Ray-Ray McCloud headed to the San Francisco 49ers.
**At the time of writing the monetary details of the one-year deal were not released**
Next. 3 Free Agent Defenders The Cowboys Missed Out On. dark