Getty Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is on the trading block, and the Dallas Cowboys need help at the position.
The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver corps is arguably the shallowest in the NFL. And the struggling Denver Broncos have made a five-time Pro Bowler at the position in Demaryius Thomas available via trade, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN:
The Denver Broncos have been listening to offers for star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, league sources told ESPN.
A handful of teams have reached out to Denver to see whether the Broncos would be willing to part ways with the five-time Pro Bowler, who was a first-round pick in 2010, and Denver has not rebuffed those advances to date, according to sources.
Demaryius Thomas a Fit With the Cowboys?
Thomas has seen his production decline this season, but his 372 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs would both be tops on the Cowboys, and his 33 catches are tied with Dallas’ leader Cole Beasley.
The Cowboys average just 183.1 passing yards per game, more than only the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, and Buffalo Bills. Still, they’re 3-4, just a game and a half out of first place in the NFC East.
Dallas already has a burner in Tavon Austin, and Beasley is an effective possession receiver in the middle of the field. But they lack a player like Thomas, a seasoned, big wideout who can shed cornerbacks and pull down jump balls. They’re in the middle of the pack in red zone scoring percentage (55.6 percent, 16th overall), but are near the bottom in third-down conversion rate (31.9 percent, 30th).
Thomas could help on both fronts.
The biggest hurdle in acquiring Thomas — and likely the reason Denver is relatively eager to deal him — is finding room for his contract. The 30-year-old will have a base salary of $14 million in 2019, the last season of his contract, with a cap number of roughly $17.5 million.
Amari Cooper, the star wideout that the Oakland Raiders are looking to offload, also has one year remaining on his deal, and his base salary and cap number for 2019 will be about $14 million.
As far as trade assets go, Thomas should be far cheaper considering his age and declining production; Cooper is just 24 years old.
The Cowboys are typically hesitant to make in-season trades, and reports thus far have indicated that probably won’t change.
Source says the #Cowboys are not actively seeking to trade for a WR, at this time.
Then again, if the team truly is interested in acquiring a wideout to bolster their passing game for a run to the postseason, they’d probably prefer to keep that information to themselves so as not to drive asking prices up.