Getty The Cowboys could pursue WR Julio Jones.
The Dallas Cowboys “could poach” a big name from an NFC rival.
As mentioned by Jerry Trotta of FanSided, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Julio Jones could be a good fit for the Cowboys. The 33-year-old Jones spent his first season in Tampa Bay as one of Tom Brady’s primary secondary weapons, playing the No. 3 role behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Jones — who will be a free agent this offseason — would make sense as a potential replacement for T.Y. Hilton, who played a key role for the Cowboys towards the end of the 2022 season after signing in December.
“Nobody’s saying Jones should be the only receiver Dallas should target this offseason,” says Trotta. “But perhaps he could fill the TY Hilton role as the grizzled vet who comes up with clutch grabs on third down and mentors the rest of the room.”
Julio Jones Has Been Injury-Prone Over Past 3 Seasons
Despite dealing with a serious injury for the third consecutive season — he played in just 10 games due to a torn PCL — Jones was a decent contributor when he was on the field. He contributed 24 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns in just five starts.
As Trotta notes, Jones actually had a solid outing in the playoff loss to Cowboys, raking in seven catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. That receiving performance ranked second to Godwin in receptions and receiving yards for Tampa Bay.
It also just so happens that Jones turned in more 50-plus yard receiving games (three) than the Cowboys’ No. 2 receiver, Michael Gallup (two), did this season.
“The Cowboys certainly learned that in the Wild Card Round, when Jones erupted for seven catches for 74 yards and a touchdown in what was otherwise a dominant performance from Dallas’ defense,” said Trotta. “Let’s put it this way. Jones’ three games with more than 50 receiving yards this past season were two more than what Michael Gallup produced, and Jones played in four fewer games than Gallup.”
Why Julio Jones Could Be Good Signing for Cowboys
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones produced a solid 65.1 offensive grade and 63.7 receiving grade this season. While those grades are nowhere near what he used to produce in his prime — Jones once put up a 92.5 offensive grade and 92.1 receiving grade during the 2015 season — they’re still higher than what any other Cowboys receiver not named CeeDee Lamb produced.
By comparison, Gallup posted a 62.6 offensive grade and 61.9 receiving grade in 2022. Noah Brown — the team’s No. 3 receiver and primarily a special teams player prior to 2022 — posted a 59.5 offensive grade and 61.2 receiving grade this season.
Considering the team’s lack of red zone threats at the receiver position outside of Lamb, Jones at 6-foot-3 could give Dallas that red zone weapon. Outside of Lamb, Cowboys receivers combined for just seven touchdowns in 2022.
It’s worth stressing that Jones should not be Dallas’ first option when it comes to pursuing wide receivers. However, he could be a bargain signing long after the initial period of free agency ends — as he was for Tampa Bay when he signed in July — and end up becoming a bigger contributor than Hilton was.
Jones probably isn’t going to last a full season, but he can still provide glimpses of greatness a few games a year.
As a secondary receiver for the Cowboys, Jones wouldn’t be a bad signing at all.