All eyes are on the 2022 NFL draft as the calendar inches closer to April 29, but that doesn’t mean the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t still be active in free agency.
In fact, addressing some potential areas of need would create a more clear path to who the Cowboys may take and what the franchise’s approach is. Considering owner Jerry Jones recently declared his desire to trade up in this year’s draft, Dallas making moves shortly before or after draft time is certainly a possibility.
Dallas’ official team reporters David Helman and Rob Phillips addressed the idea that the team could add one household name at the wide receiver position: Jarvis Landry.
The Browns free agent still doesn’t know where he’s playing ball in 2022, and Helman thinks the team could be interested in Landry, but that the receiver probably won’t know his next destination until after the draft concludes.
“Not to mention, this is also the time of year when teams would rather focus on finding cheaper, younger talent in the draft,” Helman wrote on April 8. “I bet we’ll see him sign somewhere once the dust has settled after the draft, when teams have a chance to re-assess their needs. Who knows, maybe he could even sign here in Dallas – depending on his asking price, of course.”
ALL the latest Dallas Cowboys news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Cowboys newsletter here!
Landry’s Impressive Career with Browns, Dolphins
Most NFL fans are aware of Landry’s achievements, as the former LSU Tiger has established himself as a premier receiver at the NFL level. The 29-year-old entered the league in 2014 as a second-round pick by the Miami Dolphins and immediately made an impact, Pro Football Reference shows.
After 758 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his rookie year, Landry put together five consecutive Pro Bowl seasons starting in 2015. In his final three years in Miami, he put up 3280 receiving yards and brought down 17 touchdowns before eventually leaving the Dolphins for the Browns in a trade.
His first two years in Cleveland featured his last two Pro Bowl seasons in 2018 and 2019. Over that span, Landry averaged 13.1 yards per catch while totaling 2150 receiving yards and bringing down 10 total touchdowns.
His production in recent years has dipped a small amount. After 840 receiving yards and three TDs in 2020, Landry only put up 570 receiving yards and two TDs in 2021.
Jones Speaks on Cowboys Potentially Trading Up
As mentioned above, Jones recently spoke on Dallas’ chances of trading up early on in the 2022 NFL draft. Of course, words are just words, but Jones made it fairly clear on April 13 that he wants the Cowboys to trade up this year.
“I would trade up this draft, just going in, as much as you can say about it,” Jones said, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Until you see what’s there and who’s on the other end of the line, but yeah I would trade up. Since we’re down as low as we are those first two or three rounds, if we had a chance to and somebody we had really coveted was sitting at the bottom… and we were able to trade up and get him.”
There are several areas the Cowboys could trade up for, so signing Landry or any other remaining free agents isn’t necessarily affected by the team’s approach. However, there is an impressive amount of receiver depth in this year’s draft and that would mean the Cowboys could get a high-potential player without having to move up or trade assets.
Comments
Cowboys Free Agency Rumors: 5-Time Pro Bowl WR Would Be Perfect Signing