Cowboys better not think about signing recently-released NFC East rival
By Jerry Trotta
The uncertain futures of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard have dominated the discourse surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
Not far behind in terms of significance and overall coverage, though, is the state of the receiver room, and how (not if!) the front office plans to equip Dak Prescott and budding superstar CeeDee Lamb with more support.
Most Cowboys talking heads are banging the table to draft a prospect in the first three rounds. Though there isn’t a surefire star or clearcut WR1 in the 2022 class, a cavalcade of future WR2s and WR3s will get drafted in April. And history suggests at least one prospect will morph into a WR1 in the league.
Regardless, it would be franchise malpractice for Dallas to go into the draft without signing a free agent wideout. While Odell Beckham and Jakobi Meyers are intriguing names to watch, don’t be shocked if Jerry Jones plays the old reliable card and signs a veteran pass-catcher on the cheap.
The vet market is still rounding into form, but the rival Giants just gifted wideout needy teams a potential low-risk addition.
Does Sterling Shepard pique anyone’s interest?
When Sterling Shepard took a pay cut last offseason, his new contract included an automatic void three days after the Super Bowl. So he becomes a free agent today. The Giants will carry a $4.3M dead money charge for Shepard in 2023.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) February 15, 2023
Should the Cowboys sign WR Sterling Shepard after he was cut by the NY Giants?
Stealing from an NFC East rival is one thing, but Shepard’s recent injury history just screams Cowboys. Shepard turned 30 this month, and has played just 10 games over the last two seasons due to a torn Achilles in 2021, and a freak torn ACL this year that happened after he pulled up on a route against the Cowboys.
The MetLife Stadium turf is truly like no other.
That woeful run of injury luck should give any interested team pause, but Shepard’s price tag might tempt the Cowboys. Not to mention, Shepard is a willing locker room leader. He’s beloved in the Giants building, and remained with the team during his ACL rehab this season to cheerlead and mentor New York’s inexperienced receivers.
You can never have too many “good guys” and leaders in the locker room, and Shepard is as classy as they come in that regard.
At the end of the day, there are several receivers Dallas should pursue over Shepard. The only upside the seven-year pro offers is his likely low price tag. With Michael Gallup coming off a down year and surprise surgery on his right knee and ankle, the Cowboys can’t afford signing another injury risk at WR.
Shepard doesn't figure to have much of a market as he recovers from a torn ACL, so there could be appeal for both sides to bring him back to the Giants when he's healthy.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) February 15, 2023
Shepard’s career numbers don’t jump off the screen, and he’s played on some terrible Giants teams, and hasn’t been blessed with great QB play (an aging Eli Manning and pre-competent Daniel Jones from 2019-2021). He might cost the least relative to other free agents, but price tag shouldn’t be the Cowboys’ foremost priority as they (hopefully) strive to upgrade the receiver room this offseason.
