Cowboys would create new Michael Gallup nightmare by trading for Pro Bowl WR

Even though it is helmed by CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys have one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the NFL. While Lamb does a lot to mask the warts of the unit, it ranks near the bottom of the league in separation rate.

It is no coincidence that Dak Prescott is throwing into tight windows at the highest rate of any quarterback this season.

Third-year pro Jalen Tolbert has become a contested catch monster out of nowhere, but he is seemingly always draped in coverage. KaVontae Turpin should be playing over Brandin Cooks, Jalen Brooks is not ready to start and rookie Ryan Flournoy fumbled on his first catch.

While Mike McCarthy's scheme has ample room for improvement, Prescott and Lamb need more from Dallas' pass-catchers. A trade might be necessary to save the offense and the WR market happens to be hot and heavy before the Nov. 5 deadline.

That doesn't mean the Cowboys should make a trade willy nilly, however. While there are some intriguing names out there, they need to avoid a former Pro Bowler at all costs.

Cowboys trading for Jets WR Mike Williams would be a huge mistake

Williams seems to be on his way out of Florham Park. He was the subject of trade rumors before the Jets went out and traded for Davante Adams.

Williams has also struggled to get on the same page with Aaron Rodgers. That culminated when Rodgers called out Williams for running the wrong route after he slipped on Rodgers' game-ending interception against the Bills in Week 6.

While Williams would step in as Dallas' second-best receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, that isn't saying much. He would essentially be the Cowboys' new Michael Gallup.

Like Gallup, Williams is struggling in his first year removed from ACL surgery. That is the case with most wide receivers and Cowboys fans saw first-hand how much athleticism Gallup lost from surgery. Williams and Gallup are both acrobatic receivers who rely heavily on their athleticism to make plays.

Williams can still make contested catches with the best of them, but he has lost some of the explosiveness that made him such a daunting matchup for opposing defenses. He has struggled to create separation as a result. Does that remind you of anyone?

Before he was released in March, Gallup tumbled down the depth chart. He lost playing time to Jalen Tolbert and his playing time in general evaporated. Williams is experiencing something similar in New York. He is now fourth in the pecking order behind Adams, Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard.

Unlike Gallup, Williams is on an extremely affordable contract. If the Cowboys traded for him, they'd only be on the hook for $836,666 (guaranteed) and less than $3 million on the salary cap for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, that is the only appealing variable of a Williams trade.

More Cowboys news and analysis