On Friday, the Seahawks added fuel to their offseason, signing former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp to a three-year, $45M deal. Before that, however, the Cowboys were rumored to be pursuing the Rams legend. Now, that opportunity has passed.
Dallas’s need at wide receiver is clear. The team needs significant reinforcements at the position to ease the pressure on both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Initially, it seemed the front office was going to hold off on improving there nil the NFL Draft. That was until Adam Schefter reported the two sides were discussing a deal early Friday morning.
Clearly, the Cowboys saw something they liked in the aging superstar.
With Kupp now out of the way, it’s a good time to ask what’s next for the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver room?
Free Agency: Could Cowboys Sign Somebody?
The Kupp-Dallas connection surprised people for one main reason: they did not seem interested in this class of free agent wide receivers.
Dallas spent a lot of time in this free agency pursuing defensive depth pieces, former first-round picks that haven’t panned out, and veteran running backs as they prepare to draft their next starter.
Aside from a contract extension to KaVontae Turpin, their offseason focus has avoided wide receiver, but that could change with similar players to Kupp still out there.
If they were willing to escalate talks with him, what would hold the Cowboys back from reaching out to Keenan Allen, Stefon Diggs, or their old friend Amari Cooper? If the money there is more favorable than Kupp’s, it could happen.
The Cowboys need to realize that signing a veteran or re-signing Brandin Cooks doesn’t rule out drafting a wide receiver in the first round.
More weapons are always better, and they shouldn’t change course from that because of Cooper Kupp’s decision.
NFL Draft: Best Bet For Wide Receiver Help
The Kupp news certainly made us all pause, but I don’t know how serious they were in trying to sign him. $15M per year over three years to a regressing wide receiver is not the Cowboys style: drafting starters is.
When you look at their draft interviews to this point, where they are picking, and who might be available, the team is clearly angling to draft their next WR2.
They do need a running back, but you can get a starting caliber guy in the second, third, or fourth rounds there. Not to mention, the chances of Ashton Jeanty falling to Dallas are now slim to none.
However, the Cowboys could get put on the clock with zero wide receivers taken ahead of them, if you count Travis Hunter as a cornerback.
This means Dallas can study Tetairoa McMillan, Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka, and Luther Burden III as much as they need to before deciding which is the best in this year’s class. That’s an attractive option.
The last time the Cowboys picked a wide receiver in the first round, it turned into Lamb, so this may be a better route than picking up an aging star after all.
The Bottom Line: Cowboys’ Next Move Is Crucial
Dallas didn’t land Cooper Kupp, as most fans probably expected, but the bottom line here is that that shouldn’t be the end of their attempts.
The team desperately needs new life at wide receiver. It is time to stop relying on Jalen Tolbert and depth pieces to take the attention off of Lamb; 2024 proved that strategy doesn’t work that well.
Whether it be signing one of the top veterans remaining, and drafting someone in the second or third round, or waiting and using the 12th pick on an elite receiver prospect, the Cowboys have to do something.
Wide receiver is far too important of a need for the team to call it quits after the mini-pursuit of a former All-Pro.
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