Trade, free agency or draft: How should the Cowboys address WR need?
The Dallas Cowboys have the No. 26 overall pick this year and quite a few needs. As I mentioned, the Cowboys have spent the past couple of free agent periods re-signing homegrown talent and that’s a testament to how well they’ve drafted.
Last year, the team opted to draft tackle Tyler Smith at No. 24. While some felt they reached with the pick, Smith actually proved quite valuable in his rookie year. Previous first round picks for Dallas include Micah Parsons (No. 12 overall in the 2021 draft) and CeeDee Lamb (No. 17 overall in 2020).
Who they choose to draft with their first pick this year will ultimately depend on how the draft shakes out in the first round — which we all know can be full of surprises — but the general consensus is that the Cowboys need to take either the best cornerback or wide receiver available at pick No 26. Thankfully, this appears to be a fairly deep receiver class.
Some potential candidates we have our eyes on include Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and LSU’s Kayshon Boutte. But there’s no guarantee either player will be there when the Cowboys are on the clock, which makes addressing the position through a draft a bit of a risk.
The Cowboys have been one of the better teams at selecting talent in recent years, but it’s never a guarantee that a player will pan out. For every Micah Parsons and Ceedee Lamb there’s a Mike Jenkins and Bobby Carpenter.
The Cowboys waited to address their receiving needs last year, drafting South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert in the third round. Tolbert finished his rookie campaign with just two receptions for 12 yards, a perfect example of the risk you take when drafting a player to fill a need. Although there’s certainly talent to be had in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft, it’s far from a guarantee that you’ll hit.
If the Cowboys are to address the wide receiver position in the NFL Draft, they should probably do it with their first pick. But in doing so, they’ll limit their ability to address another possible need, such as cornerback or offensive line.
What’s the best option for the Cowboys ?
All three options have their pros and cons. In my opinion, the best path forward would be for the Cowboys to trade for one of the aforementioned names. Hopkins or Cooks won’t come cheap, but they are proven veterans.
The Cowboys are clearly a playoff team, but are still lacking an offensive playmaker to complement Lamb and Pollard. Rather than signing a middling veteran in free agency, bit the bullet and trade for a stud.
If they are unable to work out a deal with either the Texans or Cardinals, the second-best option would be to turn to the draft. There’s certainly talent to be had there, but they’ll need to commit their first round pick to the position. And it’s quite possibly they may need to give up additional assets to move up should there be an early run on receivers.
How would you like to see the Cowboys address their receiver needs this offseason? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
