Cowboys Trade Pitch Flips CeeDee Lamb for Cardinals’ ‘Explosive Athlete’ Receiver

Getty A proposed trade sees the Cowboys acquire Cardinals WR Michael Wilson in exchange for CeeDee Lamb.

The Dallas Cowboys would be an ideal landing spot for a promising 24-year-old wide receiver.

As the Cowboys move through their preseason schedule, the biggest topic is none other than CeeDee Lamb’s holdout due to his contract situation. The two sides have not only yet to come to an agreement, the situation took a turn for the worse when team owner Jerry Jones recently stated there’s no “urgency” to get a deal done with Lamb.

While Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones played damage control shortly after, saying there’s “zero thought process” to trading Lamb, it’s still a possibility if the two sides are unable to come to an agreement. As Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton proposes in one of his five hypothetical trades involving Lamb, one of his trade pitches sees Dallas trade Lamb in exchange for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson along with 2025 first and third-round picks.

Moton’s argument is simple — Wilson is a second-year receiver coming off of a promising rookie campaign and the Cowboys could always use the first-rounder acquired in this potential trade on a new star receiver if Jalen Tolbert doesn’t pan out in a featured role this season.

“Last season, Wilson hauled in 38 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games (12 starts),” writes Moton. “Wilson doesn’t have Lamb’s star qualities, though he can be a solid perimeter option and use his 6’2″, 213-pound frame to become a primary target in the red zone. Dallas can use the 2025 first-rounder to draft a blue-chip wide receiver if Jalen Tolbert’s impressive offseason doesn’t translate into a breakout year.”

Michael Wilson Described as ‘Explosive Athlete’ in Scouting Report

The 24-year-old Wilson is 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, possessing excellent size as a receiver. It’s worth noting that Tolbert is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds while Brandin Cooks is 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds. In other words, the Cowboys don’t have an overly imposing physical threat at receiver. Bringing in Wilson as a potential specialty red zone weapon would change that.

Outside of his favorable size traits, Wilson also is an “explosive athlete,” as Bleacher Report’s Derrik Klassen described in his scouting report of the Stanford Cardinal alum.

“Wilson is also a fairly explosive athlete, at least in a straight line,” writes Klassen. “Wilson screams off the line for someone his size and gains steam quickly. His top gear isn’t the scariest in the class, but he’s got enough speed for his size and hits that top speed in a hurry.”

Why the Cowboys Could Maximize Michael Wilson’s Size

According to Pro Football Focus, Wilson posted a 68.3 offensive grade and 68.7 receiving grade last season. Not only are those above average grades, they’re not far off from what Dallas’ No. 2 receiver, Cooks, produced last season (69.6 offensive and 70.7 receiving grade).

The last time Dak Prescott had a physically imposing receiver on the outside was three-time Pro Bowl receiver Dez Bryant. During Prescott’s rookie season in 2016, Bryant caught a team-leading eight touchdown passes. Bringing in Wilson could bring the best out of the young receiver — especially considering the Cowboys would line up smaller, shiftier receivers alongside him.

As Moton mentions, Wilson is obviously not on the same level as Lamb, who is a three-time Pro Bowl receiver coming off a career season in which he led the NFL with 136 grabs. However, acquiring a starting receiver in Wilson while also nabbing a first-round pick that can potentially be used on another wideout next year is what would make this deal appealing for the Cowboys.