Every NFL team is in the process of formulating its plan for the 2020 season. The first step in doing so is free agency, which begins March 18th, the start of the new league year.
The Dallas Cowboys have two of their top three receivers, Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb, set to hit the open market as unrestricted free agents. However, yesterday during a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine, Head Coach Mike McCarthy made it clear that the plan is to have both players on the roster in 2020.
“The goal is to have both of those guys back,” McCarthy said.
Cooper is without question the most important of the two, considering he’s the team’s top priority in free agency after Dak Prescott. He set career high’s receiving yards (1,189), touchdowns (8), and yards per catch (15.1) during the 2019 season.
The four-time pro bowler has been very patient when it comes to his long-term financial security. Even before last season, Cooper expressed how much he wanted to stay in Dallas and how his contract wasn’t a concern.
“I just want to be here. I really haven’t been thinking about my contract situation,” Cooper said. “I don’t know why, but I want to be here running routes, catching balls from Dak Prescott. I think it’s necessary because I think it’s going to help me achieve what I want to achieve this season.”
Cobb is all too familiar with the Cowboys new head coach, seeing as they spent eight years together in Green Bay from 2011-2018. Last March, he would sign a one-year deal worth five million and be seen as an upgrade from Cole Beasley.
As the third option, Cobb caught 55 passes for 828 yards and three touchdowns. What makes that so impressive is that he was playing alongside two other 1,100-yard receivers in Cooper and Michael Gallup. With McCarthy now looking to implement some of his west coast offensive scheme into the Cowboys attack, Cobb’s familiarity will make him feel right at home.
McCarthy reviewed tape from the Cowboys 2019 season. He liked a lot of what he saw, including what his former receiver Cobb put on film.
“I did a lot more with Cobb being behind the line of scrimmage than they did with him last year,” McCarthy said. “But I thought he played great in the slot and did some things as a single receiver. I thought he probably played as well as I’ve seen him play just the pure receiver position. But he has that capability, and you look at his background, I mean, he was a college quarterback. So he gets it. He’s wired that way. And I don’t think you can have enough of those kinds of guys.”
The Cowboys had the top-ranked offense in the NFL in 2019 thanks in large part to an elite passing attack. Now, the next step will be to get Cooper locked in for the foreseeable future before attempting to keep Cobb as well. Anything can happen, but it looks like these two will be running routes next to each other for a while.
