USAT: Cowboys Wire audio clip

USAT: Cowboys Wire

Mar 5, 2022

With multiple players set to be free agents and it now likely that Dallas moves on from Amari Cooper, all eyes are on the Cowboys wide receiver room as we enter the offseason. While the club has apparently prioritized a return for Michael Gallup, he isn’t the only key player in the group the coaching staff is fond of. - Mike McCarthy spoke to the media this week for the first time in over a month, and the Cowboys head coach was asked about a different Dallas receiver who’s future is also still in question, upcoming free agent Cedrick Wilson. - Playing in his fourth season in 2021, Wilson took advantage of increased playing time due to injuries ahead of him and showed clear development into a serious weapon and an unsung hero for the Cowboys offense. - “I mean Cedrick, I’ve been with him two years and I know he was someone that has taken some big jumps in his early years.” McCarthy said about Wilson’s improvement. “Love him as a player, love him as a person; extremely professional. Obviously growing up in the — with his father playing in the league. I think there is just a steady, calm confidence about him.” - The former Boise State Bronco was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, and would go on to lose his entire rookie campaign with a torn labrum, played sparingly in his sophomore year, but he demonstrated a strong work ethic and that steady, professional mindset that McCarthy mentioned, and became an increasingly dangerous receiver over the past two seasons. - More than doubling his production each year over his short career, Wilson’s has already made the Cowboys late-round investment well worth it. - - - - Year - Targets - Catches - Yards - Touchdowns - - - 2019 - 8 - 5 - 46 - 0 - - - 2020 - 28 - 17 - 189 - 2 - - - 2021 - 61 - 45 - 602 - 6 - - - - With Gallup sidelined for nine games in 2021, Wilson filled that void nicely, showcasing not only his speed and shiftiness with the ball in his hands, but his all around skillset as a pass catcher. - Here the 6-foot-2 receiver turns on the jets to beat his defender and then slips by Vikings safety Harrison Smith to create a 73-yard touchdown from Cooper Rush in the Cowboys Week 7 narrow win in Minnesota. - - Cooper Rush to Cedrick Wilson. “Let’s Go Cowboys!” chants have started in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/eXqObOyfHh - — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 1, 2021 - - - A solid and still improving wide receiver, Wilson’s versatility is what has been the key to his impressive start of his career. - “There’s nothing that you can ask Ced to do that he just steps right in,” the Cowboys coach told reporters. Wilson, a former high school quarterback, has been given multiple chances to create big plays with his arm, and he has not disappointed. - - Cowboys OC Kellen Moore on this Cedrick Wilson pass to CeeDee Lamb: “I’m not gonna lie, that wasn’t the exact design of the play. It turned into a scramble drill. He threw a ball on the sideline that was a really impressive throw for (an NFL QB).”pic.twitter.com/10xhyusPSl - — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 2, 2021 - - - Wilson’s stat line as a passer in the past two years is perfect, 5 completions on 5 attempts for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. Dallas has also used Wilson’s arm on multiple hook-and-ladder style plays, as well as trick plays in the return game. - “He’s just an instinctive, aware, natural football player, obviously offensively but he does a lot of the little things for us on special teams, too,” McCarthy said, continuing about Wilson’s utilization that features him all over the kickoff and punt teams. - McCarthy would end his response by supporting the notion that Dallas should re-sign the under the radar free agent, as well as the numerous other talented free agents the Cowboys have, “So, obviously Cedrick and all of our free agents the goal is to get those guys back and I think anytime you’re fighting to get all your free agents back into your locker room, I think that’s the place you want to be in. And Cedrick is definitely one of those guys.” - Retaining their top free agents is what all teams hope to do, but with numerous high-profile players hitting the open market and little to no cap space, it seems like more of a hope than a reality for the Cowboys unless, they are able to make some significant changes to the contracts currently on their books, such as the rumored release of Cooper. - Wilson is joined by Gallup, Malik Turner, and Noah Brown as the club’s free agents at the wideout position, leaving CeeDee Lamb as the only contributor at the position currently under contract. - A few of the factors that will play a role in determining if the Cowboys are able to match the money Wilson sees from around the league are Gallup’s progressing contract discussions with the club, and how the Cowboys choose to use the cap space from Cooper’s potential release elsewhere on the roster. - Last offseason Wilson signed a one-year deal worth $2.1 million, and he figures to at least double that number after his showing last season. - With more questions than answers in the wide receiver room, re-signing the affordable yet talented Wilson now makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys. - - List - - Winners, Losers from WR, TE workouts at 2022 scouting combine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Cowboys Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Cowboys Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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Mar 17, 2022