The Cowboys went into the 2022 season assuming that everything would go exactly right at wide receiver.
Their plan hinged on all of the following things actually happening:
1) CeeDee Lamb to be the true WR1 they believed him to be when they traded Amari Cooper away
2) Michael Gallup to return from ACL surgery on the short side of his recovery timetable and at full go
3) James Washington to be a valuable weapon from Day One
4) Jalen Tolbert to make significant contributions as a small-school rookie
Well, at least they got the first one right.
Heading into the 2023 offseason, the team finds itself having to almost start over again behind Lamb. Gallup should be much more like the player he was prior to his injury, but only time will tell. Washington is gone, and Tolbert is still a major unknown. T.Y. Hilton was added late in the season and showed flashes, but whether he figures into the Cowboys’ plans moving forward is anyone’s guess.
All of which explains why the team is spending much of their time at this year’s NFL scouting combine meeting with wide receivers. Just this week, executive vice president Stephen Jones mused that the team needed to “add a little juice” to the offense in the form of a legitimate playmaker.
Each team is allowed 45 “formal” meetings with prospects in Indianapolis. Informal meetings with many more also happen throughout the week. And some players have already chatted with Dallas brass at the Senior Bowl, so hearing a player say they’ve “met” with a team can mean any one of a number of things.
Here are just a few of the big-name wide receiver prospects the Cowboys have had confirmed meetings with.