Getty Images Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
James Washington will make his season debut with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Washington signed with the Cowboys this offseason to help add some depth but broke his foot early in training camp. He’ll be active on Sunday against the Texans and will add another weapon to a Dallas unit that has been on fire lately.
“I feel great,” Washington said recently after returning to practice. “From four weeks ago to now, I feel a lot stronger in my plants and catching the ball in general. It’s kind of like riding a bike at this point. Once you start doing it, it all just feels natural.”
The Cowboys are averaging 39.8 points per game in the last five weeks and Washington will be eased into action against a 1-10-1 Houston team.
Washington set career highs in 2019 when he caught 44 passes for 735 yards and three touchdowns. However, his production has waned over his final two seasons in Pittsburgh. Washington caught just 24 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Steelers.
“It’s kind of like a kid waiting on Christmas,” Washington said. “I’ve been waiting to put the star on my helmet since I signed here.”
Cowboys Excited to Add Washington
Washington will join a Cowboys wide receiver corps headlined by CeeDee Lamb, who has thrived as the team’s top option in the passing game. Lamb has 69 catches for 928 yards and is excited to add another strong option for quarterback Dak Prescott.
“I’ve been playing against him since college,” Lamb said. “To see him out here running around in practice — very explosive. He’s your deep-threat guy so just be careful, is all I’m gonna say.”
Prescott is also extremely confident that Washington can make an impact for the Cowboys offense.
“Yea, most definitely,” Prescott said. “Over the past couple of weeks, seeing him out there and being able to feel comfortable within himself — his timing — I’m confident in him. I’m sure it’ll be sooner than later.”
Cowboys Still Weighing Decision on Odell Beckham
The Cowboys hosted free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for a visit this week but he left without a deal. While the Cowboys would like to have Beckham, they have some concerns about when he can get on the field.
“Yes, we’re still in contact,” Jones said on Friday on 105.3 The Fan. “Is there a timeline? Probably the fact that time is ticking in terms of getting in here and really initiating the heavy work in rehab to get there for the playoffs if it’s gonna happen.”
Micah Parsons was one of the Cowboys players who accompanied Beckham to the Mavericks game on Monday during his visit. He said that Beckham’s plan is to be on the field in five weeks, which would rule him out for the rest of the regular season.
“He told me five weeks. Five weeks,” Parsons said, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “No trainer, no doctor, no anybody can tell a player who he feels. It’s your body. That’s for anything. Any part of your body [that’s] hurt. No one can tell you how your body is going to feel except for you. If that’s what he says, I always believe it. If they say no, my body hurts, I can’t go. You have to respect that.”
With the Cowboys eyeing a Super Bowl run, adding a receiver strictly for the postseason might not be something they’re open to.