The 2024 NFL season draws nearer with each passing day. Defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City will host Lamar Jackson and the Ravens a short 101 days from now.
Until then, every nugget of information from OTAs and eventually training camps will be magnified to the umpteenth degree. That rings especially true at The Star.
Let me once again remind everyone that OTAs are voluntary. If Michael Scott asked me to explain it to him like he was five, I’d say “It means you only have to go if you want to”.
It’s that simple. Don’t make such a fuss about WR CeeDee Lamb and EDGE Micah Parsons not reporting to camp.
Yes, Lamb is awaiting a new contract but thinking that has anything to do with why he hasn’t shown up to VOLUNTARY workouts is pure speculation.
Micah gets a lot of grief for his podcast and his travels around the globe this offseason, but what people don’t like to bring up is how hard he has been training to prepare for the upcoming season.
CeeDee and Micah aren’t just sitting at home. They are working, and as soon as workouts are no longer voluntary, they will be on the field.
If anything, CeeDee’s absence opens up opportunities for young wide receivers on the roster to get work with the first-team offense that could use reinforcements at certain spots.
Yesterday, I wrote about three defensive players still available in free agency that could help the Cowboys in 2024. Today. I give you my list of three from the offensive side of the ball.
Remember how the front office works. There won’t be any blockbuster signings. These are guys that can be had on the cheap.
WR Michael Thomas
Experience: 8 years
2023 Salary: $10 million
Right off the bat let me tell you that if you think Michael Thomas would be a “progress-stopper”, you may be right.
But Thomas is exactly the type of player the Cowboys like to take chances on because even if he flames out, they can say they tried to acquire top talent.
A deal for Thomas wouldn’t be anywhere near the $10 million he got before the 2023 season. Injuries have limited him to just 20 game appearances in the past four years.
The negotiation of salary will start there, and the Cowboys could offer one of their incentive-laden deals with a small base and guaranteed salary.
If Thomas can rehab with Britt Brown, the best in the business, and help replace and maybe exceed the production the offense had with pre-injury Michael Gallup at WR3, it would be a worthwhile risk to take.
At the very least, Thomas can come in and provide another veteran presence besides Brandin Cooks, and push Jalen Tolbert in the battle for the WR3 spot.
RB/WR/KR/PR Jamal Agnew
Experience: 7 years
2023 Salary: $4.75 million
If the Jacksonville Jaguars would have given Jamal Agnew some snaps at quarterback we could have dubbed him the modern-day “Slash”.
If you don’t remember Slash, it’s a reference to Kordell Stewart in his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Stewart played snaps at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. He was also briefly utilized on special teams when the Steelers needed a big play.
That’s the type of versatility and homerun-hitting ability the Cowboys’ offense currently lacks outside of WR CeeDee Lamb. Especially after also losing RB Tony Pollard to the Titans.
Jamal Agnew ran a 4.34s 40-yard dash at his pro day and that speed shows on the field with the ball in his hands, and should have no problem regaining that speed after the lower-leg fracture he suffered.
Agnew has had 110 offensive touches since being drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 5th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He averages 9.7 yards per reception and 8.0 yards per carry.
Those seems like pretty good numbers to me, and not from a small sample either. Agnew is slight, but still brings a little more body mass than KaVontae Turpin.
Imagine the both of them together on the field returning kicks and punts. Along with the explosiveness Agnew can add to the offense, it should be enough to give his agent a call.
LT Donovan Smith
Experience: 6 years
2023 Salary: $2.7 million
Dallas used their 1st round pick on LT Tyler Guyton from Oklahoma and all indications are that he is the left tackle of the future despite only playing right tackle in college.
Guyton has been working with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather since he was drafted, but moving from one side of the line to the other can be challenging.
If Guyton fails to pick it up before the start of the season, a veteran like Donovan Smith would be a good bridge to allow All-Pro Tyler Smith to stay at left guard while Guyton gains confidence.
Smith spent the first five years of his career in Tampa Bay and was the starting left tackle when a guy named Tom Brady showed up and guided them to a Super Bowl victory.
Last season, he protected Patrick Mahomes’ blindside, earning himself another Super Bowl ring.
He would already be a better option for swing tackle than anyone else on the roster, and would come at a price the Cowboys would be comfortable with.
He’s no Tyron Smith, but a veteran presence in a room full of young players at left tackle wouldn’t hurt.