Where the Cowboys' WR Depth Chart Stands Heading Into Draft

Dallas Cowboys fans hope to finally experience some offseason excitement now that the 2024 NFL Draft is less than a day away. The Cowboys have been one of the quieter teams this offseason, opting to sit on their hands and rant about going 'all in' rather than attempting to replace the series of key players — from Tyron Smith to Tony Pollard — who departed this spring.

Needless to say, the Cowboys have several areas they can address at the draft — including the wide receiver room. After Michael Gallup was released this spring, Dak Prescott's wideout options are extremely limited beyond CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. If management truly wants to end the Super Bowl drought, adding an NFL-ready playmaker is crucial.

Before Jerry Jones & Co. have the opportunity to draft another wideout, let's look at how the Cowboys' WR depth chart is shaping up.

1. CeeDee Lamb

To the shock of no one, CeeDee Lamb remains the Cowboys' No. 1 WR heading into the 2024 season. Lamb, a four-year veteran, has improved with each passing season and the 2023 campaign was no exception.

Lamb, a four-year veteran, has improved with each passing season and the 2023 campaign was no exception. The former Oklahoma Sooner paced the NFL with 135 receptions as he set new career highs in both receiving yards (1,749) and touchdowns (12). In fact, his reception and yardage totals are new franchise records, beating out Michael Irvin's 111 catches and 1,603 yards he racked up in 1995.

The only issue surrounding Lamb ahead of his fifth NFL season is that he's still without a contract extension. The Cowboys are delaying the inevitable by kicking the can down the road, but Lamb's price will only skyrocket as more of the league's premiere playmakers continue to sign mega-deals.

Hopefully, the Cowboys and Lamb work out a deal because they can't afford to lose him. We already saw how letting go of Amari Cooper in favor of Michael Gallup was a horrendous decision and failing to retain Lamb could be even worse.

Nevertheless, his contract issues don't change the fact that Lamb is not only the best wide receiver on the Cowboys, but one of the best at his position in the whole league.

2. Brandin Cooks

When they needed a legitimate WR2 last season, the Cowboys went out and acquired Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans in exchange for two draft picks. It was a brilliant move on paper as Cooks had been incredibly consistent throughout his career, hitting the 1,000-yard mark six times from 2015 to 2022.

Cooks' first campaign with Dallas was a mixed bag. On one hand, the 30-year-old playmaker only registered 657 receiving yards and 41.1 yards per game, which were two of the worst outputs of his career. On the other hand, he racked up eight TD catches and even yielded an impressive 103.8 passer rating when targeted.

Cooks is still a solid weapon to have in the fold, but it's clear that he's no longer the WR1 that he once was. If he plays closer as he did in the second half of the 2023 season, I could see him tallying 600-800 yards and at least five TDs. But if his play takes a step back, it's going to be tough to justify his spot as the Cowboy's WR2.

3. Jalen Tolbert

After an uneventful rookie year, Jalen Tolbert earned a more concrete role with the Cowboys last season. The former 2022 third-round selection saw 36 passes thrown his way across 17 games, turning 22 of those balls into 268 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.

What's encouraging is that Tolbert's play improved as the year went on. He went from having just 71 total receiving yards in the first seven games of the season to finishing with at least 49 yards three times during the final 10 outings. Those aren't mind-blowing numbers, but they do illustrate his ability to make plays now and then.

With Gallup out of town, all eyes are on Tolbert to see what he could do with potentially more targets. He was a Day 2 pick just two years ago for a reason and he might not get a better opportunity to prove his worth than the one that's coming up this fall.

If Tolbert can take another step forward, the Cowboys will be better for it. If not, it'll be interesting to see how his future in the Lone Star State unfolds.

4. KaVontae Turpin

After being named the 2022 USFL MVP, KaVontae Turpin joined the Cowboys on a three-year contract in July 2022. It wound up being a great decision for both sides as Turpin earned a Pro Bowl appearance in his first NFL campaign after returning 29 punts for 303 yards and 21 kicks for another 508 yards.

But instead of being stuck on special teams last year, the Cowboys decided to use Turpin more as an offensive weapon. The former TCU Horned Frog's offensive snap count jumped up from 62 to 140 as he turned 12 of his 18 targets into 127 yards and three TDs while tallying 11 carries for 110 rushing yards and another score.

It's going to be interesting to see how the Cowboys use Turpin going forward. If they add more WR depth through the draft and training camp, I assume he'll revert to more of a special teams role. But if Dallas' wideout group doesn't receive more help, he could enter the preseason as the WR4.

5. Jalen Brooks

As a seventh-round pick, nobody expected Jalen Brooks to see too many opportunities as a rookie. Well, it turns out they were right as the ex-South Carolina Gamecock was held to just 77 offensive snaps across seven games while spending most of the year with an 'inactive' designation.

But even though his playing time was slim, Brooks made good on every opportunity he was given. He caught all six of the passes thrown his way, registering 64 receiving yards and four first downs. His performance wasn't otherworldly, but it's clear that he's a solid option for the WR4/5 spot for now.

Like Turpin and Tolbert, Brooks has a great opportunity to carve out himself a bigger role going forward. He has the size and tools to become a decent option for Dak Prescott, but it's up to him to prove that he can put it all together as early as next season.

6-9. Martavis Bryant, Racey McMath, David Durden, Jalen Cropper

After Brooks, the Cowboys' WR depth chart is somewhat of a mess. Dallas still has four more wideouts under contract but their order on the team is somewhat of a crapshoot.

For starters, we have Martavis Bryant. The veteran wideout joined the Cowboys last fall after being reinstated by the NFL following his violation of the league's drug policy back in 2018. Bryant was solid during his early career, amassing over 2,100 yards and 17 TDs in four seasons with the Steelers and Raiders, but no one knows if he can still contribute given that he hasn't played an NFL game in nearly six years.

There's also David Durden and Jalen Cropper, who both joined Dallas as undrafted free agents last year. Neither wideout saw a lick of action as a rookie, though. Durden was out for the year after suffering an ACL tear during practice in August while Cropper spent the season on the practice squad.

Lastly, we can't forget about Racey McMath. The ex-LSU product joined the Cowboys on a future contract earlier this year after uneventful stints with the Titans and Colts. Having said that, McMath has looked awful in his short career, only catching 4-of-14 (28.6%) targets for 48 yards.

Needless to say, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the Cowboys' WR depth. There are more questions than answers beyond the likes of Lamb and Cooks, leaving time to tell how (and if) Dallas addresses the situation in Detroit this week.

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