Cowboys Urged to Sign Reinstated $37 Million Playmaker

The Cowboys roster is pretty much set for the 2024 season, but there’s little doubt that there are apparent weak spots. While the team will get receiver CeeDee Lamb back after his training camp holdout, depth among the team’s pass-catchers is still lacking.

Lamb is the lead. Brandin Cooks is the No. 2. The hope is that Jalen Tolbert finally cashes in the potential he has shown at times since he was a third-round pick for the Cowboys in 2022. Jalen Brooks, special teams mainstay KaVontae Turpin and rookie Ryan Flournoy round out the receivers group.

It’s not a particularly strong bunch after Lamb, who set franchise records for receptions (135) and yardage (1,749) last season. With Lamb probably in need of a few weeks to get into real NFL rhythm, the lack of depth in this unit could show itself sooner rather than later.

With that in mind, the folks at the SB Nation site Blogging the Boys have an interesting proposition for the Cowboys to consider: Signing former No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis, the former Titans and Jets receiver who retired briefly but is seeking to come back into the league.

Corey Davis Was the No. 5 Pick in 2017

The 6-foot-3 Davis does have talent, though he was never able to fully put it all together in the NFL. He caught 273 balls for 3,879 in six seasons, leaving Tennessee after four years for a three-year, $37 million contract with the Jets. He only played two of those year, though, before retiring in 2023.

In an article titled, “3 free agents Dallas Cowboys should consider signing,” BTB writer Brian Martin highlights Davis as one of his choices (with defensive tackle Siaka Ika and cornerback Caleb Farley):

“Corey Davis has had an up-and-down career since being drafted fifth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. In a run heavy system during his four years in Tennessee and then two seasons in New York with the Jets, he unfortunately never eclipsed the 1000-yard receiving mark in his career. Even still, he could be a nice depth player.

“After retiring briefly and sitting out the entire 2023 season, Davis has been recently reinstated and could help upgrade Dallas’ WR depth in 2024. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds he’d be another big target on the outside for Dak Prescott and maybe help with redzone issues.”

Cowboys WRs Ranked No. 15 by PFF

Of course, the Cowboys won’t be making any such moves in the short term, but Davis is worth keeping an eye on. The Cowboys are lacking in experience at the position once you get past Lamb and Cooks. On the practice squad, Dallas has rookie Jalen Cropper and second-year man Kelvin Harmon.

Harmon made 30 catches for the Commanders last season, making him the most productive career receiver on the Cowboys roster and practice squad outside of Lamb and Cooks. Tolbert has 24 career catches, Turpin and 13 and Brooks has six.

In the offseason, Pro Football Focus ranked the Cowboys’ receiving unit 15th in the NFL, but made clear that they only ranked so well because of Lamb:

“How high do the Cowboys deserve to be on this list, knowing it’s basically just CeeDee Lamb? Lamb ranked third in the NFL last year with a 91.4 receiving grade. He led the league in targets, ranked second in receiving yards, tied for third in receiving touchdowns and tallied the most first-down catches. He was unstoppable.

“Brandin Cooks is coming off his lowest receiving grade (70.1) since his rookie season, and while Jalen Tolbert could step up, that’s merely conjecture at this stage.”