Dallas Cowboys: Trade Wishlist, the wide receiver position

The Dallas Cowboys will have their sites set on some intriguing wide receivers for 2018. The team may look to make a trade prior to free agency.

The Dallas Cowboys will be seeking some wide receiver help for the 2018 season. This could mean drafting a player at that position within the first three rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. But what if the Cowboys did not have to take that route?

What if they could continue to focus on building up their defense and still land an elite wide receiver? Considering it is the holiday season, this is a wishlist for who the Cowboys should attempt to land in a trade during the offseason at the wide receiver position.

AJ Green (Cincinnati Bengals): Green is literally the perfect candidate to jump ship from the Cincinnati Bengals. His team has struggled mightily all season, his cap hit is enormous (13.7 million), and he is at the age (29) in which his veteran experience will shine.

The Bengals have bigger problems to worry about than Green, they have no other targets in the receiving game besides Tyler Eifert and he could be gone from the team as well. Green wants a chance to compete for an NFL title and Cincinnati will not allow him to do that.

If head coach Marvin Lewis is fired and a new regime is brought in to help rebuild this franchise, then the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to see what it would take to pry Green away. Adding an elite veteran wide receiver to complement Dez Bryant would completely change the dynamics of the passing game.

The Bengals could also feel as if he is expendable as he is a wide receiver who will turn 30 next year and has a pretty sizable cap hit. With an offensive line to rebuild, along with defensive needs, the Bengals could play it smart and get the most for Green while they can.

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Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals): Fitzgerald is a Cardinal through and through there is no doubt about it but he has not yet won a Super Bowl championship which is the last thing he has left to do in the NFL.

Fitz is a free agent in 2019 but he will be 36 by then. In the twilight of his career, Fitzgerald could be looking to link up with a contender who can get him to the promise land.

The Dallas Cowboys are an emerging contender with veterans already on the roster and youthful playmakers. Fitzgerald would fit in perfectly and give Dak Prescott a player who can convert third downs regularly (besides Ezekiel Elliott).

The Arizona Cardinals could totally be willing to let Fitz go for the right price and for them that should be a mid-round draft pick. The team has a lot of needs and sending Fitzgerald to a contender so they can add some key pieces to the roster is critical to the future of the Cardinals.

He is still productive and dangerous but at the same time could teach this young Cowboys receiving corps how to play the position. He would be the greatest mentor for a young quarterback/offense they would be able to find who is still on the field.

Demaryius Thomas (Denver Broncos): Demaryius Thomas has gotten played a pretty bad hand after having success in Denver. After Peyton Manning left, there was no clear succession plan as to whom would start at the quarterback position.

We have seen a constant battle play out between young signal callers over the last two seasons and realistically it is not good for the Broncos wide receivers. Thomas has been an elite player in this league however terrible quarterback play is ruining his production.

The Broncos view is apparently that Thomas has struggled immensely to get separation on defenders. They also seem to think that he has lost a step so he could be on the trading block.

Denver has some key needs coming into the 2018 draft and a full-scale rebuild could be in store for the offense. If that is the case, John Elway should attempt to get the most out of Thomas.

Thomas will have a cap hit of 12 million in 2018 and 17 million in 2019 so his time in Denver could be running out. The Dallas Cowboys could use Thomas’s elite set of skills to help keep drives alive.

Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): This one is a long shot as Evans is still fairly young and on his first contract. The former first-round pick of 2014, Evans has been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go-to wide receiver.

His size and catch radius make him elite and capable of producing some big stat lines. He is the most efficient in the red zone and can be utilized as a deep threat. Evans will be a free agent in 2019 and if the Buccaneers are still as bad as they have been this season a full rebuild could happen once again.

Evans will likely seek a big contract in free agency that the Buccaneers will struggle to deal with. If the Cowboys can swoop in at some point during 2018 they can get a top-tier playmaker for a high pick or two. Evans will have a cap hit of 13 million in 2018 so the team could be forced to send him elsewhere to make room for bigger needs (offensive line, pass rushers, cornerback).

Jarvis Landry (Miami Dolphins): Landry is a lot like Evans in the sense that he is young and incredibly gifted at what he is good at. Landry is more of a quick route, speedy, wide receiver who has sure hands and the ability to make big plays.

The 2014 second round pick will be a free agent in 2018 and considering that he has already been on the Dolphins trade block, the Cowboys should ask about Landry’s availability before he hits the open market.

Landry’s value would inflate so much on the open market it would simply make it impractical for Dallas to sign him unless they had an influx of cap space. Landry’s finesse would be the perfect compliment to Dez’s bruising, strength oriented style.

TY Hilton (Indianapolis Colts): The Indianapolis Colts need more help than any of the other teams on this list. They somehow managed to extend Hilton’s contract to 2021however it may be to much for the Colts to handle.

Hilton is a star and is one of the best deep threats in the NFL. Indianapolis needs to rebuild their offensive line, defensive line, secondary, and linebacking corps, not to mention they will likely need to draft another running back in addition to Marlon Mack.

The Colts could use picks more than they could use players at this point and with Andrew Luck’s safety the top priority, trading Hilton for a top pick or a package of picks would seem like the way to go.

Next: Playoff Scenarios for the Dallas Cowboys

Bonus: Free agency is around the corner and there are several players who could make an impact on the Dallas Cowboys offense. Players like Marquise Lee and John Brown would make excellent deep targets for Dak Prescott as he enters his third year in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys need a young, new, productive wide receiver and Lee checks all of those boxes. John Brown is an underutilized deep threat from Arizona who could be a cheap X-factor for this offense as the Cowboys continue to search for speed oriented wide receiver. Both players should be available unless their contracts are extended.

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