Cowboys reunion suggested to help alleviate long-lingering problem

The Dallas Cowboys are having a difficult year. The 2024 calendar year began with a humiliating postseason loss to the Green Bay Packers at home, and the aftershocks and the fallout of that loss have impacted the team throughout the offseason. The loss was followed by public quarrels between family members of Cowboys players, with other former players piling on by comparing the Dallas facilities to a zoo. 

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemingly put his entire team on the hot seat after the playoff loss. Dallas didn't sign contract extensions for any of their franchise pillars. Head coach Mike McCarthy, quarterback Dak Prescott, and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are all heading into the final year of their contract without a new deal in hand. Linebacker Micah Parsons, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, didn't receive a deal either.

In free agency, the silence from Dallas was deafening. The Cowboys made no efforts to find a viable replacement for running back Tony Pollard — even Derrick Henry felt rejected by the team.

While the contractual fiasco has been the focus of the offseason, the Cowboys have a slew of roster deficiencies that need to be addressed before September. Re-signing Lamb is one of their priorities, but the Cowboys also need to find a viable second wide receiver to complement him. While CeeDee Lamb headlines the wide receiver corps, there's little depth behind him on the roster.

Potential trade could help Cowboys find a wide receiver for Dak Prescott

There aren't many free agent wide receivers at this point in the offseason, but Dallas does have at least one option: bring back an inexpensive former Cowboys wide receiver to rejoin their offense.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested a potential trade for Dallas to acquire wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. from the New Orleans Saints.

Wilson may not be an exciting name like San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk or Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but he has some familiarity with the Cowboys, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Wilson finished his three seasons in Dallas with 67 receptions for 837 yards and eight touchdowns. He spent the past two years with the Miami Dolphins, where he made the most of his opportunities. The 28-year-old wide receiver signed with the Saints in March, but there may not be much playing time available for him in a crowded wide receiver room. The Saints are already equipped with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, Equanimeous St. Brown, and rookie Bub Means.

"If the Saints deem Wilson expendable by the end of camp, they could look to acquire some draft capital and $1.4 million in 2024 cap space by trading him," Knox suggested. "If that happens, Dallas should be very interested."

For Dallas, acquiring Wilson would have made a lot of sense when he was a free agent in March. At this point, it seems counterintuitive for both everyone involved. After all, if Dallas wanted to sign their former wide receiver, they could have simply offered him a deal in free agency. If New Orleans didn't have plans for the wide receiver, it's unlikely they would have included $2.9 million guaranteed money in his two-year, $5.8 million contract.

Dallas would have to spent a draft pick for Wilson when they could have just signed him on the open market. Then again, the Cowboys aren't known for being prompt or wise with their contracts.

Bolstering the wide receiver room may present a bit of a challenge for the Cowboys, who currently have only $10.1 million in cap space and rank 23rd in the league in terms of cap space. The Cowboys need to bring in inexpensive options without the luxury of the draft, leaving space for either trades or free agent signings.

As Occam's Razor suggests, the simplest solution is usually the right one. For the Cowboys, that would mean bringing back a wide receiver who has familiarity with Prescott and the Cowboys organization.

Unfortunately, the time for that may have passed.