Getty Corey Davis of the New York Jets runs with the ball after a catch.
The Dallas Cowboys may still add to their wide receiver group, and one New York Jets star sticks out as a potential option.
The Cowboys waved goodbye to Amari Cooper via a trade to the Cleveland Browns, and also lett Cedrick Wilson walk to the Miami Dolphins free agency. In return, Dallas has picked up former Pittsburgh Steelers WR James Washington and drafted Jalen Tolbert in the third round.
However, fans shouldn’t expect either of those players to replicate Cooper’s production. A player that might be able to is current Jets pass-catcher Corey Davis. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport recently listed Davis as a veteran that should ask for a trade.
“The Jets used the second of their two top-10 picks on Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson,” Davenport wrote. “Davis now appears to have slid from the all-time leader in FBS receiving yards and the No. 5 pick in the 2017 draft to the No. 3 wideout for a team that averaged 232.9 passing yards a game in 2021.”
With Wilson and Elijah Moore leading the show in New York, it sets up a scenario where Davis may want to leave the Jets, and New York may want to move on from Davis’ expensive three-year contract.
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Davis Excels in Tennessee, Stumbles in New York
As Davenport mentioned, Davis has the FBS record for receiving yards, totaling 5,285 receiving yards in four years at Central Michigan. His output made him a highly-touted prospect in the 2017 NFL draft, and the Tennessee Titans selected him fifth overall in the 2017 NFL draft.
In four seasons with Tennessee, the 6’3″ receiver totaled 2851 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, per PFR. His 13.8 yards per catch over that span is impressive, but his volume stats hardly matched what a team wants from a top-5 pick. The ‘Juggernaut’ descriptor that NFL.com used to describe Davis coming out of college fit his big-play ability, but it didn’t quite match his output.
His last season in Tennessee was his best and led to his major payday with New York. Davis brought down 65 catches for 984 receiving yards and five touchdowns, and the Jets handed him a 3-year, $37.5 million contract to bring him to New York according to Spotrac.
Davenport explained that his first season with the Jets was suboptimal, primarily due to Davis playing just nine games, partially due to core muscle surgery in December.
What a Cowboys Trade Would Look Like
Now that June 1 has arrived, the Cowboys have around $23 million in cap space thanks to tackle La’el Collins’ release. That means bringing in Davis is possible, but he would cost $13 million in salary this season.
In the third year of his Jets deal, he only gets a grand total of $11.67 million. If Davis can hit the heights he did with Tennessee, those salary numbers are a steal. If he is an average No. 3, the Cowboys are basically where the Jets are now with Davis.
That salary does help lower the cost, and Dallas could potentially pull off a trade by sending a third-round pick and a player. In terms of the Jets’ needs, a corner like Jourdan Lewis or an offensive lineman like Braylon Jones would be enough to get a deal across the finish line.