Cowboys sign Randall Cobb: Grade, reaction and more

Randall Cobb isn’t the player he once was, but he still has enough juice left in his legs to really help the Cowboys in 2019.

Cole Beasley’s decision to leave Dallas for Buffalo left the Cowboys with a real need in the slot. Randall Cobb isn’t going to rack up 1,000 yards in the Dallas offense next season, but he could provide Dak Prescott with an upgrade at the position.

At the very least, the Cowboys deserve credit for signing the best remaining wide receiver on the market. Cobb was really the only remaining receiver worth their attention. Their choices were to either sign him or look to integrate yet another young wide receiver into their starting lineup via the NFL Draft.

Contract Details

Adam Schefter reports that the Cowboys have signed Cobb to a one-year deal that will pay him $5 million. Given the receiver’s age and recent injury history, it’s no surprise that he was forced to settle for just one season of guaranteed money.

National Reaction

It’s clear the Cowboys have endured a lot of roster turnover at the wide receiver position. It’s hard to say that the group hasn’t improved significantly.

It’s good news for Dallas fans that Cobb excels at running the sorts of routes that Prescott throws best. It shouldn’t require a massive adjustment for Cobb to be productive in coach Jason Garrett’s offense.

Cobb played a lot of football for Green Bay, but he isn’t actually that old. Quite a few NFL fans will be surprised to learn that he’s only 28 years old.

Some might be surprised at the $5 million Cobb is set to receive, but that’s well below the market rate for a starting slot receiver. The fact that he’s only getting a one-year deal also mitigates almost all of the risk for the Cowboys. It’s hard to find any legitimate reason to criticize this deal.

There is legitimate reason to worry that Cobb might be losing effectiveness as his career progresses. Injuries limited him to just nine games in 2018. He’ll need to play something much closer to a full season to help the Cowboys make the playoffs in 2019.

It’s still a risk well worth taking by Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office. There’s a solid chance Cobb will enjoy a bounce-back season. Playing half of his season in the warm weather of Dallas’ home stadium will certainly be an improvement over playing frigid games in Lambeau.

The Cowboys should still think about drafting a wide receiver, but going into next season with Cobb as their projected starter in the slot is a perfectly solid plan. Don’t be surprised to see him outperform what Beasley gave the Dallas offense last year.