Maybe the Cowboys found themselves their No. 2 wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb last week against Pittsburgh, when Jalen Tolbert stepped up and caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to seal a 20-17 win.
Tolbert finished the night with 87 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. It was the best game of his career, and the result of his hard work matched with the Cowboys’ patience in his development. Tolbert has 247 receiving yards this year, nearly double the 280 yards he had in his career before this season.
Still, the receiving corps is thin once you get past Lamb and Tolbert, with Brandin Cooks dealing with a knee injury and a subsequent infection. KaVontae Turpin is the No. 3 receiver and the Cowboys could have to turn to rookie Ryan Flournoy if there is an injury.
The Cowboys can’t count on a return of Cooks to full strength this year, and if they’re serious about remaining in contention, they’ll clearly need to give Prescott more offensive weapons.
With that in mind, the folks at Bleacher Report suggest the Cowboys are a potential trade landing spot for one of the better receivers who could hit the block in the coming weeks—and no, it’s no Davante Adams.
It’s Bengals star Tee Higgins.
Tee Higgins Trade Would Require Bengals Collapse
Higgins, no doubt, would be a sought-after commodity if he were to hit the trade block. With Cincinnati having bungled its way to a 1-4 start, that is looking increasingly possible. Higgins is a free agent this offseason, and given his price tag–$21 million this year, with an estimated market value of $99 million over four years, according to Spotrac—the Bengals can’t afford to keep both him and WR1 Ja’Marr Chase.
The Cowboys could benefit. A trade proposal of a third-rounder for Higgins might be enough to get the Bengals to cash out on him.
Cincinnati could be back to .500 by the trade deadline, and if it is, Higgins won’t be going anywhere. He looked fully healthy in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens and finished with nine catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
“If the Bengals continue to blow games, however, Higgins would be a logical trade commodity because he’s set to be a free agent in the spring,” B/R’s Kristopher Knox wrote this week.
“Higgins is a high-end No. 2 receiver who should draw a fair return, even in a market that could be flooded with receiver talent. … Logical suitors include the Kansas City Chiefs, who recently placed Rashee Rice on injured reserve, and the Dallas Cowboys.
“Dallas may have salvaged its season with a much-needed win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, and it could use a strong complement to CeeDee Lamb on the perimeter.”
Cowboys Reluctant In-Season NFL Trade Partners
The Cowboys are reluctant when it comes to adding players at the league’s trade deadline, which falls on November 5 this season. That’s been a frustrating reality for fans of the team, especially as the Cowboys cry poverty when it comes to making additions.
With Higgins’ price tag being what it is, the Cowboys will probably pass on him, no matter how much sense he makes.
That means the team will focus on Tolbert’s development. He surely misses Cooks, who was one of his biggest backers on the team, and had been hyping up Tolbert all offseason. Tolbert said Cooks had a message before his departure.
“He just told me to be me,” Tolbert said, via the Dallas Morning News. “So get ready for the game and he knows what type of player that I’m capable of being. He knows what I’m made of and he’s looking forward to me going out there and getting opportunity.”
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Cowboys Trade Pitch Would Add Projected $99 Million Playmaker