The 2020 offseason is going to be a busy one for the Dallas Cowboys. They have numerous decisions to make both on the coaching staff and the roster, and a big one involves veteran Receiver Randall Cobb.
Cobb joined the Cowboys last year as a bargain free agent, signing a one-year deal for just $5 million despite being a former Pro Bowl player. Injuries wrecked his last few years in Green Bay, leaving Randall looking for a chance to restore his reputation.
Despite a lesser role in Dallas from what he usually had with the Packers, Cobb still made a major impact. His 828 receiving yards were only third on the Cowboys behind Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, but they often came in critical times.
Cobb did more than enough to help Dallas suffer the loss of Cole Beasley in the offense, especially given the cap savings. Beasley signed a four-year, $29 million deal with Buffalo last year.
The only major blemish on Cobb’s resume this year was dropped passes. According to FOX Sports he was among the league leaders in drops in 2019 with eight. This was a chronic issue for the Cowboys across the board; Michael Gallup had 11 drops and the team as a whole was near the top of the league.
That said, there is a worthwhile debate to be had on how much of the Cowboys’ drops were on the receivers versus the throws from Dak Prescott. But that aside, Cobb had a very solid season overall.
Now Randall Cobb, like over half of the Cowboys roster in 2020, will be an unrestricted free agent. Will Dallas elect to keep the veteran or look to develop a younger player, and save some money, by allowing him to walk away?
Cobb turns 30 in August, which is more of a red flag at WR than some positions. But his game is based more on smarts and skill than pure athleticism, which mitigates some of the risk in keeping him.
There is no great young prospect on the roster currently. Guys like Noah Brown, Cedrick Wilson, and Jon’Vea Johnson are long shots who’ve only flashed brief moments of potential. Devin Smith turns 28 in March and doubtfully has much more talent to unlock.
We all expect Dallas to either franchise or re-sign Amari Cooper, preserving the starting duo with Gallup. Given the youth there, having a veteran backing them up like Cobb is an ideal fit.
The Cowboys would likely rather use a high draft pick at tight end than receiver, finding a true replacement for Jason Witten and an upgrade over Blake Jarwin. They also have several needs on defense to address.
Taking all of this together, keeping Randall Cobb for the next year or two makes a lot of sense. The question is if his asking price will go up after a strong season, or if he’ll accept a modest contract to remain with the Cowboys.
Cobb may not be able to get much on the open market. He’s entering the twilight years and has a bad injury history, regardless of the nice year in Dallas. Other teams may not be willing to give him much more, if any, than the Cowboys would.
Hopefully all of these factors converge into Cobb signing a fiscally prudent deal to stay in Dallas. It makes sense in a lot of ways and his chemistry with Dak Prescott and the offense will only improve.
If Randall Cobb doesn’t come back, the Cowboys will have a major void to fill.
