The Dallas Cowboys still must find their WR1
By Reid Hanson
Recent talk has suggested a WR1 is no longer a necessity in the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys are going to be fine without one. Let’s clear that up.
When the Dallas Cowboys sent the oft-volatile Dez Bryant packing in April, they did so without a true heir-apparent on hand. Terrance Williams has proven he’s no more than a No. 2 option and Cole Beasley showed he can be eliminated if defenders make him their focal point.
It first seemed as though the Cowboys would invest either a first or second round pick in a premium receiver in the draft to make up for the void on the roster. But even by grabbing the top WR in the draft, finding a Day 1 WR1 seemed very unlikely. To think Michael Gallup, a third rounder can walk in and be that WR1 may be a little too optimistic for most of us.
To expect the Cowboys to survive a season (one with playoff aspirations) without finding a WR1 may similarly be a little misguided. Before anyone jumps up, sighting the different NFL teams who lack that elite receiver talent, let’s first discuss what a WR1 is.
"“One, it’s semantics to call ‘em a No. 1 receiver,” receiver coach Sanjay Lal said. “I think everyone’s vision of that is different.”"
WR1 < EliteWR
At some point we collectively raised the bar on WR1 to be more than what it always was. A WR1 isn’t an All-Pro. Heck, he doesn’t even need to be a Pro Bowler. He just needs to be the go-to weapon who can win battles when all other things on the field are equal.
there will be times when everyone will be covered. The RPO reads won’t offer a true target and Dak Prescott will need to rely on his players to win evenly contested battles.
For years it’s been Dez Bryant for the Dallas Cowboys. Recently, that hasn’t exactly been the case. Lacking in the reliability department, Dez hasn’t been that trusted piece at WR1 you look for. That’s what likely caused the Cowboys to shuffle the deck this season and start searching for a real WR1. They knew they need one to win and they felt they didn’t have anyone on hand.
Can Allen Hurns be the guy?
Sure, I wrote about how he compares to Dez Bryant and how he could put up the same numbers as Dez. But he should be able to do so with far less opportunities (i.e. he’ll be far more efficient than Dez was).
Related Story: How Hurns is an upgrade over Dez
If the Dallas Cowboys go to an RPO like many have been predicting, having a WR1 to depend on is important. Reads are made quickly and the quarterback must pass the ball before his blockers get more than a yard downfield. He’s going to throw it to a spot and he needs his receivers to be in those spots.
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The good news is RPOs are made to take advantage of situations. And Dak Prescott, with a track record of successfully spreading the ball, seems tailor made to survive without a steady go-to guy on staff.
But there will be times when everyone will be covered. The RPO reads won’t offer a true target and Dak Prescott will need to rely on his players to win evenly contested battles.
It happens every game and often means the difference between winning and losing. That’s when you need a WR1.
It’s time to redefine what a WR1 is in this league. For some reason people are using it interchangeably with “elite”. We don’t do that with QB1 and we don’t do that with RB1 so why did we raise that standards with WR?
WR1 is a guy you depend on when you need to. The Dallas Cowboys need to find a WR1 on their roster this summer because successful offenses always seem to have them. The ones that don’t have either All-time elite QB or a dominant TE to make up for it. With all due respect to Dak and the tight end bunch, the Cowboys don’t appear to have that.
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Finding the WR1 must be a priority for the Cowboys. And there’s a good chance one is on the roster. Don’t let people tell you WR1 isn’t important because it is. And it could be the difference between being a playoff team or a disappointment.