Cowboys Trade Option? Bring Back WR Cedrick Wilson from Dolphins
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FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys lost some pieces from last season, and some of those pieces hurt more than others.
The very public situation with defensive end Randy Gregory caught most of the attention, and rightfully so. But others have picked up the slack for Gregory's absence this season, namely, Dorance Armstrong. With five sacks and a forced fumble this season, Armstrong has made some fans forget Gregory's name.
The Cowboys also lost last year's WR1 in Amari Cooper when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns for the equivalent of a bag of end-zone pylons in what was more or less a salary dump.
To complicate matters, the newly-acquired free agent wideout James Washington was injured in the offseason and is still out of the lineup for Dallas.
Combine the loss of Cooper with the loss of Washington and the ACL injury Michael Gallup suffered in Week 17 last season that kept him sidelined until Week 4 this season, and you have a shortage at a very important position.
And yes, we are aware of Michael Irvin's take that ties Dallas to Odell Beckham Jr.
But the best bet for Dallas might be bringing back one of their own.
Another loss in the offseason - one that seemed somewhat insignificant at the time - was when wideout Cedrick Wilson inked a three-year, $22 million deal with the Miami Dolphins.
That signing was before the Dolphins also went out and pulled off the blockbuster trade that sent Tyreek Hill from Kansas City to Miami. And that, combined with the play of others in front of him, has kept Wilson out of the lineup with the Dolphins.
Wilson played an important role with the Cowboys in 2021, catching 45 passes from 602 yards and six touchdowns. Most importantly, he displayed good chemistry with quarterback Dak Prescott.
To compare, Wilson has just four catches for 40 yards this season with the Dolphins and recently was relegated to returning punts last week. He's appeared in less than 20 percent of Miami's offensive snaps, and Sunday's special-teams snaps were his first of the season.
With Wilson's current salary and lack of playing time, the Dolphins might be motivated for a trade before Tuesday's deadline. Miami has about $11 million available right now in free cap space, and moving Wilson would add an additional $7.1 million between this year and next.
Wilson's remaining salary for 2022 is around $2.1 million, certainly affordable for Dallas. Would the Cowboys be interested in Wilson for his $7 million fully guaranteed salary next season? One would think a little competition would only benefit the team at that position. .. but we'd understand, given his track record, if COO Stephen Jones would balk at the dollars. (After all, if Dallas wanted to pay $22 million for Wilson ... they would've done it last March.)
Still ... Wilson knows the Dallas system. He's existing in mothballs in Miami. Our view? It's just a matter of Dallas making the right offer to Miami general manager Chris Grier. ... and the "right offer'' does not seem likely to be an exorbitant one.
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