Getty The Cowboys have had a quiet offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver group could look a lot different when the 2022 season begins. Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are among the key Cowboys free agents beginning in March. Dallas 105.3 the Fan Bobby Belt reported that “things are headed” towards Amari Cooper being a cap casualty this offseason.
All this could push the Cowboys to look externally to address the wide receiver position. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed the Cowboys as one of the best potential landing spots for Steelers free-agent receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
“The Dallas Cowboys are a long shot to land Smith-Schuster because of the the their financial situation,” Knox detailed on February 5. “Dallas is projected to be $21.2 million over the cap this offseason.
“However, wideout Amari Cooper could be a potential cap casualty. He caught only 68 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns this past season, and he’s set to carry a cap hit of $22 million in 2022. The Cowboys could save $16 million by cutting or trading Cooper prior to June 1.
“If Dallas does dump Cooper and finds ways to free up even more cap room, it could be a terrific landing spot for Smith-Schuster. Wideout Michael Gallup and tight end Dalton Schultz are both set to become free agents in March, so the Cowboys could need more pass-catching help regardless of what happens with Cooper.”
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JuJu on Playing With Dak: ‘Catching Balls From Him…I Wouldn’t Mind It’
JuJu Smith-Schuster said at 7-Eleven event he’s “most likely” headed for free agency. On Dak Prescott: “He’s a great quarterback. Catching balls from him in a facility like this, I wouldn’t mind it. …The Steelers are still working on trying to get out of the wooden locker rooms”
Smith-Schuster recently sparked some Cowboys rumors thanks to his comments during a February 2 appearance with Dak Prescott on behalf of 7-Eleven. The playmaker admitted he would not mind catching passes from Prescott in the near future.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Smith-Schuster said, per Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken. “Catching balls from him in a facility like this, I wouldn’t mind it. …The Steelers are still working on trying to get out of the wooden locker rooms.”
The Cowboys could get a bit of a bargain with Smith-Schuster, and the team would need it given they are currently $21.6 million over the salary cap, per OvertheCap.com. Pro Football Focus projects that Smith-Schuster will sign another one-year prove-it deal for $8 million. Smith-Schuster was sidelined for the majority of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury posting 15 receptions for 129 yards during his five appearances.
Stephen Jones: ‘If You’re Gonna Pay Somebody a Lot of Money, You Want Them to be the Best’
Big Ben connects with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who plows into the end zone for a 31-yard TD. 💪
(via @NFL)
Cooper is still under contract in Dallas through 2024, but the Cowboys have been talking like a franchise prepared to move on from their star receiver. The Cowboys have an out in Cooper’s deal that allows them to be free from the majority of his $20 million salary if they release the wideout. Cowboys Vice President Stephen Jones discussed what is expected of Cooper given his sizable contract.
“Well, it’s sometimes not all on the receiver, too,” Jones told reporters at the Senior Bowl on February 2. “It’s scheme, it’s getting the receiver the ball, the touches, the targets that he needs. But if you’re gonna pay somebody a lot of money, you want them to be the best at what they do.
“Whether that’s catching, whether that’s yards, whether that’s receptions, whether that’s touchdowns. Whether that’s throwing touchdown passes, winning football games, if you’re a quarterback. Whether it’s a running back, if you’re getting your touches and you’re scoring touchdowns and you’re running for yards, I mean all those things.
“If you’re a pass rusher, you want to be getting pressure and making plays, all those things relate to how a guy’s paid. And once you pay that player a lot of money, then with that comes high expectations. And they know that, these players know that, they compete at the highest levels.”