Why the Cowboys are adding so many receivers

The Cowboys are currently overloaded at receiver and are expected to add even more once the NFL Draft takes place later this month. This is why…

The Dallas Cowboys appear to be on mission. A mission to stock up on receivers. With Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, Allen Hurns, Noah Brown, Ryan Switzer, Deonte Thompson, Lance Lenoir, and KD Cannon already on the roster, you’d think they’d be done collecting talent. But no.

Based on their scouting and 30-player visits, they intend to add even more bodies to the already-crowded receiving corps. What could they possibly be thinking?

They are going to fundamentally change the starting lineup

It’s almost undeniable at this point. I can’t say when it’s going to happen but it’s going to happen. And it’s likely to happen to all three starters: Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, and Cole Beasley by this time next offseason.

Based on their contract situations, I speculated as much three weeks ago. Cole Beasley is a free agent and his replacement, Ryan Switzer, is already on the roster. He’s as good as gone.

They say the simplest answer is often the correct answer. The Dallas Cowboys are planning to replace their receiving corps. As much as we may want to see Dez bounce back to greatness as a Cowboy, it probably won’t happen.

Terrance Williams is, by far, the weak link in the chain, but his contract makes him more expensive to cut than to keep – for this year, at least. Everything changes in 2019 so I’d be shocked if he wasn’t cut early in the 2019 offseason.

And Dez is almost certainly to be gone at some point in the next 12 months as well. The only question is will it be in 2018 or 2019. Both options are economically feasible regarding Dez.

One thing is for sure – someone has to go to now in order to make room for all the new players. The status quo is not feasible no matter how highly you may regard this trio.

Numbers Games

If you’re counting at home, the Dallas Cowboys have nine receivers already on the roster. Lance Lenoir and KD Cannon may have always been long-shots to make the final 53-man roster, but the other seven guys seemed like locks at some point in time.

But based on previous 53-man rosters, we know that’s impossible. The Cowboys often keep only five receivers on the roster, six if they feel compelled to develop someone. So that tells us one, if not two, are going to be cut loose before the season begins.

More from Dallas Cowboys

If the Cowboys add another player or two to the mix via the draft, we can expect another player to be sent packing. That’s three, maybe four, cuts to players who are otherwise worthy of a roster spot. It’s tough to make sense of that unless you accept the Cowboys are executing a plan.

They know who they’re going to cut. And perhaps that’s why they are dragging their feet on the Dez Bryant meeting.

Whether they are going to make those cuts to the top of the depth chart to save money, or the bottom to save top-end talent, remains to be seen. But it’s safe to say it will be a whole new cast of characters at some point in the next 12 months. You don’t invest this much if you’re not planning it.

Refreshing the Roster

Also known as churn, refreshing the roster is an important part of team building. For a team like the Dallas Cowboys who have rolled with the same starting three receivers for five years, it’s something that’s probably overdue.

We’re going to see changes. That much is sure. They aren’t bringing in new players for the heck of it. They aren’t scouting all the top receivers for nothing either. They are going to make changes. Some this offseason and some next offseason.

Next: Dallas grabs a receiver in the latest Sport DFW Mock Draft

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