With no splash moves in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys will need to take some big swings in the upcoming NFL Draft. This free agency in particular hasn't been as jam-packed as years past, due in large part to the bloated salary cap allowing teams to retain their best players.
That doesn't excuse the Cowboys from not splurging, however.
Jon Machota of The Athletic reported the team was interested in cornerback Kristian Fulton, who inked a two-year, $20 million deal with the Chiefs, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who got three years, $35 million from the Broncos, and defensive tackle Poona Ford, whom the Rams signed for three years, $29 million.
We also know Dallas was interested in wide receiver Cooper Kupp to some extent. Needless to say those four positions - receiver, cornerback, linebacker and defensive tackle - are the biggest needs on the roster.
After the first wave of free agency, though, it is becoming increasingly clear what position the front office will target with the No. 12 overall pick.
Cowboys are clearly targeting a wide receiver in first round of NFL Draft
While the Cowboys has clear needs at corner, receiver, linebacker and defensive tackle, they have at least added one player at those positions. They have yet to add a new receiver.
As of this writing, Dallas has added LBs in the form of former first-round pick Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn, who impressed under Matt Eberflus in Chicago. They traded for former Bills first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam and signed veteran defensive tackle Solomon Thomas as insurance behind Osa Odighizuwa at the three-tech position. Wide receiver is the one outlier.
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The front office didn't show much urgency to re-sign Brandin Cooks, who inked a two-year, $13 million pact with the Saints. That's a good deal for an aging receiver, but nobody would have batted an eye if Cooks was brought back given the state of the WR room.
CeeDee Lamb is a top-five player at the position, but Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy leave a lot to be desired. Tolbert is best served as a WR3 and Turpin is more of a gadget player than a downfield threat.
There is a cavernous hole at WR2. While this is not the draft to need a receiver, there are three prospects worthy of a first-round selection: Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, Missouri's Luther Burden and Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka.
McMillan has slid some in the consensus rankings, but he'd be a steal with the 12th pick. Burden and Egbuka might be viewed as reaches that high, but both have unique skill sets that would benefit Dallas' offense. They'd also be clear upgrades over the team's non-Lamb receivers.
The Cowboys have more bodies at receiver relative to the other positions mentioned, but the lack of quality is damning. While they could still add a vet like Stefon Diggs or Keenan Allen in free agency, it would be shocking at this rate if the No. 12 pick wasn't used on a receiver.
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