Dallas Cowboys need speed at WR: 3 free agents who can help
By Reid Hanson
When the Dallas Cowboys sent Amari Cooper to Cleveland, they sent their team speed with him. Between him, Michal Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson, and Noah Brown, Cooper was the only WR with sub-4.50 speed.
To compensate for the loss of Cooper (and Wilson), the Dallas Cowboys have re-signed both Gallup and Brown and added James Washington, but they’ve done little to address the speed element that’s now missing from their attack.
With no legit deep speed in their upper ranks, the Dallas Cowboys offense will be somewhat limited in their ability to truly stretch the field. That’s where the free agent WRs we’re about to discuss today come in.
All three are proven burners that immediately add deep speed to the Dallas Cowboys attack. With so many teams eager to play shells and umbrella coverages against Dallas as of late, that’s exactly they need to add to their offense before the upcoming draft (where they will undoubtedly add another)
Option 1: Emmanuel Sanders
40 speed: 4.41 seconds
Emmanuel Sanders has been a mercenary deep threat for the better part of the decade. After playing for four different teams over the last three seasons, the 35-year-old Texas native is a free agent who may or may not be looking for another gig.
Said to be contemplating retirement, Sanders is no sure thing this year. He’s not going to accept a low-ball offer because he has to play, Stephen Jones will have to actually convince him to play (that’s not Stephen’s strong point).
But with that said, Sanders is someone who could hit the ground running, so to speak. He’s a nuanced route runner capable of creating separation anywhere and getting over the top with ease. While he may not be quite as fast as he once was, he averaged a career best 14.9 yards per catch last season in Buffalo.
Emmanuel Sanders has maintained his elite burst off the line of scrimmage into the later years of his career.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 17, 2021
Sanders ranked in the top 10 of average top speed within 1 second of a route with a get-off above 9 MPH in each of the last 3 seasons. https://t.co/gHPrg0yLuM pic.twitter.com/1MvSyD5OkU
Sitting just 755 yards shy of 10k for a career, Sanders may be tempted to join a pass-heavy offense like Dallas’ where, even playing third fiddle in the band, can realistically expect 800+ yards in a 17-game season.