The Dallas Cowboys, who were heavily criticized for trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns last year for a low price, need to make changes to their receiver room this offseason. Although this statement is somewhat lighthearted, it is imperative for the Cowboys’ front office to take action to rectify their mistake.
Dallas Cowboys need a new receiver
Even though Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson’s inconsistent quarterback play persisted, Cooper lived up to expectations for the Browns. He played in all 17 games, caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards, and scored nine touchdowns. He received the most targets of his career and recorded his highest receiving yardage since his first full year in Dallas, where he was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2019.
It is unlikely that the Cowboys will obtain another receiver like Cooper. However, star receivers have a tendency to demand trades, whether it is because they are due for their second contract or their current team is undergoing a rebuilding process and has little chance of competing. As a result, there are usually two or three high-profile WRs that switch teams every year, as seen with Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and AJ Brown last offseason.
While the market for this offseason is still being formed, NFL.com writer Adam Rank has already linked Mike Evans to the Dallas Cowboys. He admitted that he considered other WRs, including Tee Higgins from the Cincinnati Bengals, Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos, and the underappreciated DJ Moore. Nevertheless, Rank believes that Evans would be an excellent acquisition for many teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, who are desperate to go beyond the Divisional Round for the first time since Bill Clinton’s first term. It turns out that Jerry Jones and Co. may have made a mistake by trading Amari Cooper last year. Dak Prescott requires more firepower out wide, and Evans, who is from Texas and attended Texas A&M, would likely enjoy playing for the Cowboys.
Mike Evans is a star receiver and did plenty for the Bucs
While Mike Evans may not be everyone’s preferred choice, his greatness cannot be denied. He is the only player in NFL history to start his career with nine consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards. This past season, he became the sixth player in league history to register 10,000 receiving yards and at least 75 touchdowns in his first nine seasons. Although he may get injured every now and then, his hamstrings have been a problem in recent years, and he has played in at least 15 games in seven of his nine seasons. Therefore, the notion that he is an injury-prone player is overblown.
At 6-foot-5 and with an average of 15.3 yards per catch in his career, Mike Evans is the ideal complement to CeeDee Lamb. As a field-stretcher, he possesses everything that Dallas lacks in its receiver room, and his ability to make contested catches would make the Cowboys the best WR corps in the game in that regard. Lamb and Michael Gallup are both exceptional in that department.
Evans has a $23.698 million cap hit for 2023, but the Cowboys could reduce that by restructuring his contract ($10.001 million in savings) or extending it ($10.688 million in savings). While it may not make much sense for the Bucs to trade Evans, that could change quickly if the front office decides to embrace a rebuild, given the state of the roster after Tom Brady’s retirement. Therefore, it is possible.
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