In the 2019 offense, the Dallas Cowboys had a very important decision to make. Resign Cole Beasley after his number shot up with an offer from the Buffalo Bills or look elsewhere to replace their slot wide receiver. They opted to let Beasley walk and targeted Randall Cobb in free agency, signing him to a one-year, $5 million deal for 2019.
Cobb, who was coming off injuries in Green Bay, was seen as a short-term option for the Cowboys as he approached his age 30 season. However, after playing 15 games this season and setting a career-high in yards per receptions, he’s put himself back on the radar in the NFL and should be a player the Dallas Cowboys looked to resign. With a new hire at head coach, Cobb might just find himself in Dallas one more season.
Until 2019, Randall Cobb hadn’t played for any other team or any other coach besides new Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy and the Packers took a chance on Cobb in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft though he had just one season of 1,000 yards receiving at Kentucky after making the switch from quarterback. Under McCarthy, Cobb was arguably one of the best slot wide receivers in the NFL and had more than 100 targets in four of his first five seasons in Green Bay.
The potential exists for the Cowboys to bring back Cobb on another short-term deal. He was an excellent fit into Kellen Moore’s offense and experienced a resurgence in 2019. Cobb was one of just 13 wide receivers in the NFL this season to have 80 targets, 800 receiving yards, and average more than 15 yards per reception.
Among players with at least 36 targets, Randall Cobb was 10th in the NFL in yards after catch per reception. Though he was fourth in the NFL in dropped passes, he was also the victim of several big plays (including touchdowns) that were called back because of a penalty. With 828 receiving yards, he had an outside shot at a thousand-yard receiving season had the passing game been more consistent throughout the year and if he’d played 15 games.
No player ran a higher percentage of their routes in the slot than Randal Cobb’s 91.9% slot percentage. Of players that ran at least 50% of their routes from the slot, Cobb ranked ninth in the NFL in yards per route run per Pro Football Focus.
As we look ahead to the 2020 offseason, it makes a lot of sense to maintain continuity at the wide receiver position to bring back Randall Cobb. He and Dak showed an ability to make plays early on in their quarterback-wide receiver relationship and another offseason could only enhance that chemistry.
By hiring Mike McCarthy as the Dallas Cowboys head coach, they’re making it evident that they want to get everything they can out of Dak Prescott as they prepare to make him one of the richest players in the NFL. Bringing Randall Cobb back and into an offense he’s familiar with would go a long way toward helping Dak Prescott and the rest of the offense learn the new system.
