Getty Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is always interested in pulling off a trade.
The Dallas Cowboys have netted a new wide receiver — but it’s not Julio Jones.
The team on Monday announced the signing of WR Johnnie Dixon, who scored a likely one-year contract after working out for Dallas (along with quarterback Brett Hundley, who wasn’t signed) last Friday, May 21.
His addition puts the Cowboys at the 90-player offseason roster limit.
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Dixon Played for Ohio State but Didn’t Play a Regular-Season Game After Being Drafted by the Cardinals
GettyJohnnie Dixon of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates with the winner’s trophy after the 27-21 win over the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2017 Big Ten Championship.
Dixon, 26, entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. He was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals but never played a regular-season snap and drew little interest this offseason save for a recent workout with the Cleveland Browns before the Cowboys came calling.
Professional obscurity aside, Dixon was a fairly touted talent at Ohio State, where he developed into a legitimate deep threat. Across five seasons with the Buckeyes, including a 2014 freshman redshirt, Dixon converted 67 receptions into 1,146 yards — 17.1 yards per catch — and 16 touchdowns.
The Draft Network’s Joe Marino assigned Dixon a mid-day three grade prior to the 2019 NFL draft, noting speed as his best trait and route-running technique as his worst.
“A highly regarded recruit, it took some time for Dixon to make an impact for Ohio State but he showcased a potent skill set over the last two seasons,” Marino wrote. “While there is some technical refinement needed, Dixon has outstanding speed and separation quickness while also showcasing good hands and ball skills that makes him a potent weapon to all levels of the field. Dixon profiles as a versatile playmaker at the next level that should be effective stretching the field, working from the slot and given chances to contribute as a returner. Dixon has been a prominent fixture on kick coverage units which increases his valuation given that experience. There is a lot to like about what Dixon can offer a football team in terms of depth at receiver.”
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Dixon Faces an Uphill Battle in Dallas
The Cowboys began full-scale Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Monday, May 24, practices that are scheduled to run infrequently over the next three weeks. With an open spot on the roster, it makes sense that Dixon was added, especially after showing enough to warrant a deal, short-term as it may be.
But unless he genuinely wows the coaching staff, Dixon faces an uphill battle to unseat either Cedrick Wilson or Noah Brown as the No. 4 and No. 5 WRs, respectively, behind locked-in starters Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
Oh, and if you’re here for Julio Jones news … well, sorry to disappoint. The seven-time Pro Bowler, while confirming he’s on his way out of Atlanta and despite rocking Dallas garb, sharply shut down any speculation about a potential Cowboys marriage.
“I ain’t going to Dallas, man. I never thought about going to Dallas,” Jones told Shannon Sharpe on the May 24 episode of FS1’s “Undisputed.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL