If the Dallas Cowboys are going to compete in 2022 then some shrewd free agency decisions will soon need to be made. Could one of those moves be adding Wide Receiver Jamison Crowder, formerly with Washington and the New York Jets, to help bolster their potentially depleted depth chart?
Crowder, a 2015 4th-Round pick, played out his rookie contract with the Commanders. Despite only being a 5’9″ receiver out of Duke, Jamison immediately claimed a big chunk of Washington’s targets and was even the team’s leading receiver in 2017-2018.
Those last two years made Crowder an attractive free agent in 2019 and earned him a three-year, $28 million contract with the Jets. He was New York’s leading receiver from 2019-2020 in catches, yards, and touchdowns and again, despite missing five games, led the team in receptions last year.
On the surface, Jamison’s never had more than 847 receiving yards or seven touchdowns in a single season. But when you consider the low-output offenses he’s been stuck in for much of his career, and especially the last three in New York with Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson at QB, you see a guy who’s remained highly productive within the context of his own team.
The Cowboys certainly know how effective Crowder can be. Some of his best career numbers have come against Dallas, topping 100 yards twice and averaging better in those seven meetings than his general per-game production.
The Cowboys will likely need some production help at WR in 2022. Right now, CeeDee Lamb is the only significant member of last year’s group guaranteed to be back. Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Malik Turner are all free agents while Amari Cooper’s future remains unknown as a potential salary cap casualty.
Even if Cooper comes back, or if they part with Amari to use part of that money to retain Gallup, Dallas will still need a capable WR3 and more to round out next year’s depth chart.
Bringing back Wilson is also definitely on the table. But while Jamison Crowder turns 29 this summer, Cedrick is still just 26 and has flashed a lot of potential over the last few years with the Cowboys. He may be looking for a starting opportunity and have a decent market for his services.
Younger guys like Gallup and Wilson could leapfrog Crowder in the upcoming free agency period. And that could leave Jamison and his sneaky productivity as a bargain buy for a team like the Cowboys.
Dallas signing Crowder as WR3 would be reminiscent of their one year with veteran Randall Cobb in 2019. Cobb, also 29 at the time, put in solid work behind Cooper and Gallup with 55 catches for 828 yards and three touchdowns.
If they can’t keep the trip of Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb intact this offseason then the Cowboys will need someone who can be consistently effective in that third slot. Crowder has a proven track record as a favorite target for his quarterbacks and even a security blanket at times.
He won’t be one of the biggest names in the 2022 WR market. But for the Dallas Cowboys and their overall needs and resources this offseason, Jamison Crowder may be an ideal fit.
