Dallas Cowboys: 3 Inexpensive free agent replacements for Amari Cooper

Sammy Watkins

Age: 26

6-foot-1, 211lb

Sammy Watkins is currently under contract with the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs but USA Today and Spotrac both list him as a possible cap casualty. Watkins’ enormous price tag makes him untradeable, and while it sounds like he’s willing to renegotiate, it looks he’s going to have to come down quite a bit to avoid the axe.

While Watkins’ career is largely seen as a disappointment given his draft spot (4th overall pick in 2014) he’s actually a pretty decent starting receiver. Averaging 14.9 yards per reception, Watkins is a nice outside receiver capable of holding down the X receiver position.

Last season he played a big role in the Chiefs success in the postseason. Watkins collected 14 balls for 288 yards (20.6 yards per reception), and one touchdown. He had a 77.8% catch percentage, 16 yards per target, and 96 yards per game in the playoffs. That’s straight up elite (all numbers from Pro Football Reference).

Watkins wouldn’t come as cheap as Brown but he’d be a much lower risk player who would pair nicely with Michael Gallup who plays the Z. Even signed to a multi-year deal, he wouldn’t inhibit the Dallas Cowboys from investing draft capital in a WR to develop this year.