The Dallas Cowboys have accumulated some nice talent at wide receiver. Amari Cooper is a legit number one, Michael Gallup is on the brink of a breakout season as the second option and Randall Cobb provides stability in the slot assuming he’s healthy throughout the entire season. With Tavon Austin looking like a lock to make the roster as the fourth option it brings up the question who will fill out the final one or two possible spots at receiver? Cedric Wilson has made a strong case for himself during training camp.
In 2018, Wilson was coming off a very productive senior season at Boise State as he recorded 83 receptions for 1,511 yards and 7 touchdowns. Much to the Cowboys delight, he would fall all the way to the sixth round when he was selected with the 208th overall pick. After a solid start to training camp, he would suffer a torn labrum while injuring his shoulder, something he played through during his senior year in college. This would place him on injured reserve and effectively end his season.
Coming into the 2019 offseason, he found himself with another opportunity to shine with the departure of Cole Beasley and the uncertain future of Tavon Austin. He’s shown flashes in training camp of the player that came out of Boise State with pretty high expectations. Getting solid work with the second team and battling guys like Jourdan Lewis have definitely gotten Wilson ready to contribute if he makes the roster. He even ran a reverse for a touchdown in practice a few weeks ago showing how diverse his skill set is.
https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1159270428054937602?s=19
https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1158157820228849664?s=19
That has also translated to game reps during the preseason, as Wilson has caught 6 passes on 8 targets. Those numbers would be a lot higher but he was the victim of an illegal hit in the first preseason game against the 49ers which put him in concussion protocol and unable to produce any stats against the Rams a week later.
Last week against the Texans in the “dress rehearsal” game he showed a different element of his game, returning kicks. In the video below, he does a nice job setting up his blocks before hitting the edge for a 32 yard gain. This shouldn’t surprise anyone since he returned 31 kickoffs in college for 742 yards (23.9 per return) and 10 punts for 132 yards (13.2 per return). Since special teams will more than likely be his most effective way to contribute if he makes the roster, this play definitely helped his case.
Cooper, Gallup, Cobb, and Austin have all locked up their roster spots. Wide Receiver Noah Brown is currently on the PUP list which leads me to believe the Cowboys will keep six receivers on the roster, with Wilson being one of them along with Devin Smith. He’s worked hard to put himself in this position after missing all of last season. With one more preseason game to go anything could happen but right now look for him to be on the final 53-man roster next week before the 2019 season begins.
