When the Cowboys decided to place their primary focus on clearing up cap space at the beginning of free agency, it left them flexible in adding some different talent to their roster. When James Washington went down early in camp, it opened the door to the team using some cap space to add a veteran free agent. But similar to most years, the Cowboys seem reluctant to add a WR.
The lack of desire to bring in outside talent is a talking point for fans, and year after year, it seems to be the biggest gripe fans have with this front office. And in some sense, it exasperated me at times too. Oddly, you’d get rid of talented players to save money, but then you opt not to use the money you saved by getting rid of them. But in the case of the Cowboys receivers, I think the reasoning is justified.
Young guys are showing up
So far, through training camp, young receivers like Jalen Tolbert, TJ Vasher, Dennis Houston, and Simi Fehoko have all been very convincing. If you like veteran WRs in free agency, about four guys I’ve seen Cowboys fans campaign for the cowboys to get. TY Hilton, Will Fuller, Cole Beasley, and Odell Beckham Jr.
First, getting OBJ out of the way makes no sense. The Cowboys don’t need Odell when Gallup and Washington are healthy; if anything, they need him immediately. He will be out till most likely November. Then going to TY with all due respect to him, he’s way over the hill and injury prone. Fuller is a very nice player, but he’s never played 16 games in a season yet in his sixth-year career. Then finally, Cole Beasley is a solid option, but he’s asking for way too much money for a 33-year-old slot receiver.
None of these players are great options right now, and with how the young WRs are performing, I don’t think it’s terrible. I also completely believe in the Cowboys’ front office regarding how they draft and evaluate talent. For all the mistakes the front office has made, the one thing they always do well is draft. And although they didn’t technically draft guys like Vasher and Houston, it’s essentially the same idea that they understand how to evaluate a young player’s skillset.
Jalen Tolbert
Tolbert, by all accounts, has been everything the Cowboys hoped for and more and Fehoko seems to be coming into his own. Then Vasher has made many spectacular catches while Dennis Houston has looked tremendous. And remember, this team will probably only need this guy for the first few weeks of the season. Gallup will be back no later than a few weeks into the year, and the same with James Washington.
The preseason will tell a lot about how much the Cowboys need some help on the outside. I am confident these young WRs will show out and hopefully will ease the minds of some Cowboys fans who can’t seem to let go of the panic button.
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