There’s a long way to go before the Cowboys get themselves down to a 53-man roster. But based on what he’s already seen in the offseason, one team insider is predicting a surprise in the Dallas WR room.
The Cowboys are thin on experience at the position, and even more so in the first few weeks of the season. CeeDee Lamb is the new undisputed top dog on the depth chart following Amari Cooper’s trade to Cleveland. Michael Gallup figures to be next in line, but he’s still rehabbing from an ACL tear and will likely miss the start the season. Veteran James Washington is new to the club, and Noah Brown returns for his sixth season, but both are dealing with minor injuries of their own.
That leaves the door open for a handful of others to step up, but there is a total of 12 wide receivers currently in the locker room. Common sense says several aren’t going to make it to Week 1.
Todd Archer of ESPN likes T.J. Vasher’s chances, even over 2021 draft-day darling Simi Fehoko.
Vasher, the 23-year-old out of Texas Tech, was signed last year as an undrafted free agent. He spent the entire season on the reserve/non-football injury list with a knee issue, even as Fehoko, the fifth-round selection out of Stanford made it into five games as a promising rookie.
But so far, in OTAs and minicamp, Vasher has impressed.
“He’s done good things,” head coach Mike McCarthy said recently. “I think he’s made some really big time flash plays, splash plays. He’s had some, really, particularly, in the red zone, which you can see his ability down there. He had some really good plays in scramble drills and things like that. I think like any young player, particularly in his development, is getting the details of the everyday situations.”
That was enough of an endorsement for Archer to put Vasher on his 53-man roster projection last week, citing “some eye-popping moments” over the spring workouts.
Fehoko was left out.
Quarterback Dak Prescott, however, isn’t so quick to discount the improvement that the Stanford product has made from Year One to Year Two.
“That’s a stride you have to take,” Prescott told reporters of Fehoko in mid-June. “He’s taken that in this offseason, whether it’s been times throwing, extra throwing, making sure that he’s been there, and he hasn’t missed any of those. And then you get out here in the football, 11-on-11 or whatever it is, and he’s taken strides and he will continue to take strides more. He’s a guy that’s going to be big for us.”
There is, however, a long list of young receivers who want to “be big” for Prescott and the Cowboys offense in 2022. Brandon Smith is also back for his second season. And the team brought in lots of fresh competition by taking Jalen Tolbert in this year’s third round and signing Dontario Drummond, Ty Fryfogle, Dennis Houston, and Jaquarii Robinson after the draft.
Vasher looks forward to the battle.
“Of course, I would love to be in and out the huddle with the guys and dialing up plays and scoring systems,” Vasher said, per the team website. “I think that’s why any of us want to do what we do, but honestly, I would like to contribute in whatever way possible. I love football to the truest extent. So, any way that I can get out there and play and strap my stuff up and be with my teammates.”
Vasher will be out there when the team reconvenes in Oxnard. Whether he’s still there on opening night of the regular season remains to be seen, but he’s off to a surprising start.
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