Cowboys Schedule Visit With Explosive WR Prospect Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

Wide receiver isn't a big need for the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, but it's still a position they could address over the course of the three-day event later this month.

Knowing that, it comes as no surprise the Cowboys are taking a closer look at wide receivers, and the team will do so again with Louisville wideout Chris Bell.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Bell and the Cowboys are slated to meet after he visits with the New York Jets on Tuesday and the Indianapolis Colts later this week.

"Louisville WR Chris Bell is at the Jets on a Top 30 visit today, then he has Colts and Combine Rechecks later in the week," Rapoport said. "Bell had surgery for a torn ACL in December, and countless teams have had him in to check on his progress. He has Raiders and Cowboys after Indy."

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The part that immediately jumps off the page is Bell having suffered a torn ACL, which no doubt hurts his stock. If not for that, he likely would have garnered first-round consideration. That also means Bell could be a massive steal.

Chris Bell scouting report

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell runs a route during the game between the Mustangs and the Cardinals. — Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Putting the torn ACL aside for now, Bell is an intriguing prospect for multiple reasons.

He's more of an underneath receiver but sports a big frame at 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, which in and of itself makes him hard to bring down. But Bell also has breakaway speed to turn short-to-intermediate passes into explosive plays.

Of course, the hope is that Bell's electric qualities with the ball in his hands won't be impacted by his torn ACL. The good news is players are recovering better than ever from that injury.

Most current draft projections have Bell going somewhere in the middle of the second round.

Why Bell makes sense for Cowboys

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) carries the football against the Miami Hurricanes. — Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell and Miami Hurricanes defensive back Jr. Romanas Frederique. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Dallas might have the best one-two punch at wide receiver in the NFL with George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, but there are nothing but question marks behind those two. We'd even consider Pickens a question mark until he signs a long-term deal.

Ryan Flournoy is in line to be Dallas' WR3 this season, and while he did show promise in 2025, he is far from cemented. Behind Flournoy are guys like KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo and Parris Campbell battling it out for the scraps.

The bad news for the Cowboys is they don't have a pick in the vicinity of where Bell is projected to go, as Dallas only has a single Day 2 pick and it comes late in the third round. However, it's very possible the Cowboys will make a trade in the first round that gets them the second-round pick they don't currently have.