Dallas Cowboys Slot Receiver
Wednesday marks the third day of free agency activity for the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys have mostly been busy retaining their own.
Dallas has placed the franchise tag on Dak Prescott, extended Blake Jarwin, re-signed the likes of Amari Cooper, Darian Thompson, and Sean Lee, and as of late Tuesday night landed defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Things are starting to heat up.
Dallas Cowboys Defense Vs Slot Receiver
In Dallas, Lamb immediately fills the void as a potential slot receiver replacing Randall Cobb.He's fearless running over the middle and was the top tackle-breaking wideout entering the draft. He may start out working mostly in the slot, but Dallas now has three legitimate receivers for defenses to contend with, and each of them can line up anywhere on the field. However, let’s not forget that Dallas got 828 receiving yards and 6.1 yards after the catch per reception (10th) out of Randall Cobb in 2019.
Dallas Cowboys Slot Receiver
One thing that happened to the Cowboys is that they lost Randall Cobb to the Houston Texans (who felt trading DeAndre Hopkins was a good idea). This puts the Cowboys in need of a receiver, specifically a slot receiver, and there is thought that they could address that in the draft.
What if the Cowboys managed to sign a receiver, though? And what if they even went with someone who has ties to the Dallas area and is coming off of a pretty great season?
The Dallas Cowboys are interested in Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders notably played 17 games in 2019 due to playing for both the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers thanks to being traded midseason.
Sanders is coming off of a Super Bowl loss with San Fran, but he’s won a ring of his own five years ago with Denver. Like a former Cowboys slot receiver in Cole Beasley, Sanders is an SMU product, and he has some interest in the Cowboys as well.
The #Cowboys have expressed an interest in 2x Pro Bowler and former SMU wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders per a source informed. Sanders, last with the 49ers, trains in Dallas in the offseason and is equally interested in the #Cowboys I’m told.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 18, 2020Sanders has been targeted almost 100 times in each of his last two seasons, eclipsing 800 yards and catching at least four touchdowns in both of them. He is 33 years old, but he can still play at a high level.
There has been connection between Emmanuel Sanders and the Cowboys before to be fair. Two years ago rumors started to swirl that he would be interested in Dallas if he was released by the Broncos, and he even liked a tweet suggesting that he would fit in well in Big D. Things are serious when liked tweets are involved.
Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Emmanuel Sanders. Do you like the sound of that trio?
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t shy about his willingness to trade wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. Now he might have a suitor for the 29-year-old. The Dallas Cowboys are looking to add a slot receiver according to Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher. Fisher specifically noted Goodwin’s name alongside Cardinals receiver Christian Kirk.
San Francisco may not have a roster spot for Goodwin, so finding a trade suitor for him at any compensation would be a plus for the organization.
He’s due for a $4.9 million cap hit in 2020, and San Francisco only incurs $1.25 million in dead cap if they release or trade him. The signing of veteran receiver Travis Benjamin gives Goodwin added competition for his roster spot that was already in jeopardy.
If Dallas is looking for a low-cost receiver with elite speed, and Goodwin is their target, it’s hard to believe the 49ers would demand a ton in a swap.
Injuries have limited Goodwin to only 20 games the last two seasons, and he’s produced 35 catches for 581 yards and five touchdowns. That’s a steep drop off from the 56 receptions, 962 yards and two touchdowns in 2017 that earned him a three-year $18.85 million deal with the 49ers.
Given the signs pointing toward his release, and his limited production the last two years, the 49ers’ top asking price probably won’t be more than the Cowboys’ 2020 seventh-round pick (No. 231). That’d give San Francisco three picks in the final round in this year’s draft.
The more likely scenario is probably a conditional 2021 sixth or seventh-round pick that conveys depending on whether Goodwin makes the roster or plays in a certain amount of games.
This low level compensation is why the 49ers may decide to give Goodwin another shot. Shanahan said at the NFL combine that he wasn’t planning to just let Goodwin go without allowing him to compete for a roster spot.
“But Quise is a guy who can play in this league and if he’s on our team, he is going to be competing with that group,” he said. “And if not, I feel pretty confident that another team would want him.”
Any deal with the Cowboys would come with some assessment of risk vs. reward for the 49ers. They’re not aiming to simply give Goodwin away because he’s proven valuable when healthy, and his speed is rare. If they believe he can be healthy and competing to make the roster and help the club, then perhaps a conditional late Day 3 pick in next year’s draft won’t be enough for them. It may take a pick in this year’s draft to land him.
Slot Receiver For Dallas Cowboys
On the other hand, they’ll jump at that offer, or any other, if they have their minds made up that he won’t be on the team this season.