https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js
It’s no secret the Dallas Cowboys have some work to do to re-establish their offense among the league’s best. It wasn’t long ago that the offense was a staple in the league’s top 10 rankings, no matter who was asking. The Cowboys were first in scoring in 2021 and 2023, and third in 2022, but plummeted to 21st in 2024. They were Pro Football Focus’ top offense in 2021, fourth in 2023, but No. 28 in 2024.
Dallas finished fourth in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) in 2021, and ninth in 2023, but dropped to 25th in 2024. The drop is consistent with the loss of QB Dak Prescott, but the team’s passing game was a struggle even when he was under center and the biggest culprit was the lack of receiving options not named CeeDee Lamb.
Both Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson struggled in 2024, with the latter turning in the worst TE performance in the history of advanced stats. Cooks is a free agent and Dallas would be wise to find help from outside. Waiting to see how the draft falls and then hoping to get elite production from a rookie makes little sense unless they are ready to early commit the No. 12 pick (or higher) to the cause. So free agency, or the trade market might be the way to go.
Fortunately, this is a big offseason for potential wide receiver movement. It’s one of the most stacked positions in free agency and several other players could be available for trade. Wednesday’s announcement that the salary cap will have an additional $7 million in space certainly helps ease the idea of acquiring salary, and Dallas has options to create whatever room they desire, if they want to actually invest in Brian Schottenheimer’s tenure.
Here’s a look at the wideouts from PFF’s recent list of 22 top offseason targets, which should be of great interest to Stephen Jones.