With the NFL Draft in the books, the Dallas Cowboys have one big lingering question.
That’s what the team will do to address wide receiver needs on the roster. After star wideout CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have little depth, and that didn’t get resolved in the draft as ESPN’s Todd Archer pointed out.
“The Cowboys were prepared to select Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan in the first round before he went off the board to the Carolina Panthers,” Archer wrote on Monday. “They did not draft a receiver after that.”
“They say they like what they have on hand already — from Jalen Tolbert‘s growth, KaVontae Turpin‘s big-play ability, the potential of Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy and a full offseason of Jonathan Mingo, who was picked up in a trade last season,” Archer continued. “CeeDee Lamb still put up big-time numbers last season, but Dallas needs to make his life easier by adding more receivers to deflect at least some attention. The Cowboys know it, but now they have to show it with either a trade or free-agent addition.”
Dallas added two undrafted free agent wideouts in Oregon’s Traeshon Holden and Texas Tech’s Josh Kelly, but undrafted free agents seldom become Pro Bowl-caliber starters. The burden falls on Lamb for now after a big 2024 season where he caught 101 passes for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns last season. After Lamb, no Dallas receiver or tight end had more than 59 catches, 610 yards, or seven touchdowns.
The Cowboys need the wide receiver help to get back on track after a 7-10 season that was littered with injuries, including quarterback Dak Prescott.
Amari Cooper Reunion an Option
Getty| Former Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper gave the team a dynamic duo between him in a CeeDee Lamb.
Among free agent wide receivers still available, there aren’t many big names and no top-tier players in their prime.
That includes Amari Cooper, who played for the Buffalo Bills last season. Cooper, 30, had 20 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns after the Cleveland Browns traded him in the middle of the season amid 24 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns before the trade.
Of course, Cooper in Dallas didn’t last the first time around as the Cowboys traded him to the Browns in 2022. Whether or not a reunion would make sense remains a big unknown.
Other Free Agent Receivers to Watch
Other notable free agent wideouts include Keenan Allen of the Chicago Bears, Robert Woods of the Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens receivers Diontae Johnson and Nelson Agholor.
Allen, 33, had a respectable season for the Bears with then-rookie quarterback Caleb Williams amid 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. Previously a longtime Los Angeles Chargers wideout, Allen had 1,000-yard seasons in five of the previous seven seasons.
Woods’ production dropped in 2024 with the Texans amid just 20 catches for 203 yards in 15 games. In addition, it’s been five years since Woods, 33, last caught more than 550 yards and three touchdowns in a season.
Johnson, 28, meanwhile had just 33 catches for 375 yards and three touchdowns between stints with three different teams in a tumultuous 2024 season. That included a suspension after he refused to enter a Week 13 game for the Ravens.
Agholor, 31, had a quiet 2024 season with just 14 catches for 231 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. A former Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, Agholor hasn’t caught more than 37 passes, 473 yards, or three touchdowns since the 2020 season.
