The Cowboys wide receiver depth chart is currently much weaker than in recent years. Two days after Dallas traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, it’s now reported that Cedrick Wilson will be signing with the Miami Dolphins when free agency officially opens on Wednesday.
Today was the start of the NFL’s stupidly named “legal tampering” period. Teams are allowed to negotiate with impending free agents and agree to deal but nothing is officially signed until after 4:00pm EST on March 16th.
In four seasons since Dallas made him a 6th-Round pick, Wilson has risen into a valuable offensive roleplayer and special teamer. He’s only missed one game the last two years, starting four in 2021, and has proven his reliability as a receiver and even throwing the occasional pass.
Former Cowboys’ WR Cedrick Wilson intends to sign a three-year, $22.8 million deal that includes $12.75 million guaranteed with the Miami Dolphins, sources tell @toddarcher and me. Dallas loses another WR.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2022
While Cooper and Wilson will be hard to replace, Dallas has at least re-signed Michael Gallup and still have 2-3 years left on CeeDee Lamb’s rookie deal. They also recently extended Noah Brown’s contract to keep one experienced depth option around.
Although Lamb and Gallup are the obvious starters at receiver going forward, filling that WR3 role is now one of the Cowboys key offseason goals. With Brown being more of a bottom-tier depth and special teams guy, finding a true slot receiver for the offense becomes paramount.
Hopefully the Cowboys are able to find more valuable late-round gems like Cedrick Wilson in the upcoming draft.
I would have kept Wilson over Gallup. I think he had better chemistry with Dak and was looking very explosive in the opportunities he got. Now they have thrown 30 million dollars in guaranteed money at a declining D Law. Craziness.
I agree. Would prefer a healthy Wilson over Gallup, who will likely not be right till mid season if even then. Guess the cowboys didn’t see CW as a legit #2. Would have been a risk, but could have freed up money to shore other positions.
Same here. Wilson brings a lot more versatility to the table than Gallup. Plus, he’s not rehabbing from an ACL. Not to mention, he’s cheaper.
Looking forward, a promising WR draft prospect that has similarities to Wilson that MAY be around after the third round is Romeo Doubs. Same size 6’1″ 195, QB experience (for those trick pass plays), punt returner.
Good thing is the WR class is pretty deep, so they should be able to pick up a quality guy later to fill the void.