Dallas Cowboys Draft: Big Slot Receiver vs Small Slot Receiver

There’s a debate raging over what type of slot receiver the Dallas Cowboys need to target in the 2019 NFL Draft…

As was expected, the Dallas Cowboys lost their starting slot receiver this offseason in free agency. While losing a slot receiver may not seem like a big deal at face value, the slot’s contributions in 2018 were quite significant.

Cole Beasley wasn’t just any old cog in the machine, he was a key cog. Beasley led the 2018 Dallas Cowboys offense in EPA (expected points added) – which is no big deal as long as you don’t care about scoring points (sarcasm intended).

Now, I’ve always contended it’s the slot position that’s valuable – not necessarily the individual players. But that should not minimize the importance in finding the right long-term solution inside.

Blake Jarwin already offers everything someone like Humphrey offers. Only Jarwin’s taller, bigger, stronger, and faster.

The Dallas Cowboys scored big when they inked Randell Cobb to a 1-year deal last month. But that appears to be nothing more than a Band-Aid and given his recent injury history, the slot receiver position is far from settled heading into the 2019 NFL Draft.

Water Bug vs Big Slot

Dallas Cowboys fans have been transfixed on the slot receiver position all offseason. One man who’s drawn some attention is Texas product, Lil Jordan Humphrey. Humphrey, 6’4” 225lbs, redefines the slot position for many of us who’ve grown accustomed to the diminutive stylings of Bease.

But the reality is, large slot receivers are nothing new. Some teams have always favored large bodied slot receivers. Known as “Big Slots” they typically offer a completely different element to the inside passing game. Instead of separation they typically play with their frames. Savvy body positioning and high-balling allow them to win in close quarters. They may not offer much in YAC, (yards after the catch) but they can be pretty darn attractive in short yardage and goal line situations.

The Dallas Cowboys have long preferred the water bug type of slot. Beasley would shimmy and shake his way open, proving to be damn-near ungaurdable in man coverage. For a quarterback like Dak Prescott who likes to throw to open receivers, he was a perfect fit.

While Cobb isn’t nearly as shifty as Beasley was, he more closely resembles a water bug to the big slot alternative. So might Dallas add a big slot to their arsenal?

The potential is certainly there but it doesn’t appear the Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a big slot. Sure, someone to improve the pathetic red zone efficiency would be great. But that’s more on new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore than the personnel.

Additionally, the Dallas Cowboys are already well stocked in big slot options. Blake Jarwin already offers everything someone like Humphrey offers. Only Jarwin is a little taller, a little bigger, a little stronger, and a little faster. He’s everything a big slot is and more.

With any luck, Kellen Moore will figure out how to use him better than Scott Linehan did. If Jarwin doesn’t take that next step Dallas still has Noah Brown. Brown, 6’2” 225lbs, is a beast of a man with high-end jump ball ability. He’s another option that’s immediately better than anyone Dallas can draft as a big slot. His blocking from inside is already a valuable tool very few big slots possess.

Perhaps the biggest thing we’re overlooking is the return of Jason Witten. We don’t need to be unrealistically optimistic about Witten’s game to appreciate how much his retirement hurt the Dallas offense in 2018. For as unspectacular as he may seem to some, he fills a vital role on this offense and Dallas struggled replacing him last season. That role is strikingly similar to that of a big slot.

As if those options aren’t enough, the Dallas Cowboys also have the unproven Cedrick Wilson with inside experience. The 6’3” 188lbs receiver has put on a lot of good weight this past year and with plenty of inside experience at Bosie State, he looks like a factor in the slot receiver equation this coming season (although I think he’ll be primarily a “z”).

And we can’t forget Amari Cooper either. Amari is the Dallas Cowboys top route-runner and has proven to be unstoppable when lined up in the slot. With most No. 1 receivers logging considerable snaps inside these days, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cooper play more snaps inside this year.

So, should we consider big slot receivers as a viable option in the upcoming draft? Probably not because Dallas already has a plethora of big slot options when you consider the roles Jarwin, Witten, Wilson, Cooper, and Brown play for this team.

• Published on 04/23/2019 at 12:00 PM
• Last updated at 04/22/2019 at 11:03 AM