FRISCO — Entering draft week, the Dallas Cowboys' presumptive top targets in the first round were wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden. The Cowboys drafted neither player and would not get a receiver through the weekend.
That decision remains really the lone gripe from the entire process. Dallas continuously found value in their later round selections while plugging up some additional needs on the roster.
But the No. 2 receiver concerns are not going away. If the Cowboys are to rebound from last year's collapse, they need more than Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has defended the players the team has on the depth chart. However, he did drop a hint Saturday that the Cowboys are not closing the door on potential upgrades.
"It definitely was a big-time thought, but the train has not left the station if improvement is needed from what we've got on campus," Jones said. "I'm looking at the same sheet maybe you got in front of you that I have in front of me and it shows our No. 114 pick trade to Carolina for Jonathan Mingo. Well, we've obviously known that.
"But definitely the idea that we could, if the opportunity comes up, if we want to, can address this in free agency."
Jerry may not think "the train" has left. Looking at their options however, it's hard to argue anything but.
A source tells CowboysCountry.com that the team is desirous of acquiring a “George-Pickens-like” receiver. (We broke the story of the Cowboys discussions about the Steelers’ Pickens.)
And all of those Amari Cooper reunion rumors just won’t go away …
Regarding Cooper, we’re told he is simply on a list of options (along with names ranging from Keenan Allen to Nelson Agholor to Robert Woods) and that nothing is imminent.
Free agency in earnest has come and gone, leaving few options, leaving scraps on the table. If a trade was on the table, the "substantive moves" the Cowboys teased last week never materialized during the draft.
Jerry is treading a line here, not throwing his guys under the buys while still trying to recognize Dallas' apparent problem.
Mingo and especially Jalen Tolbert have been given their chances to show their worth. KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy and Parris Campbell simply lack the skills to become that player.
The clock to capitalize on the Prescott window is ticking. The hope for getting anything out of his best remaining years is to load up the team around him.
Dallas' commitment to their offensive line, defense and running game thus far into the offseason shows they understand that to some degree. But they are still missing the mark on the pieces of the roster that impact his play the most.
Their prime talent acquisition periods have passed them by, so any move rectify that must come soon and it may come at a cost. The Cowboys can still reasonably catch "the train," but they need to act fast.
