After losing to the Green Bay Packers in a crushing fashion in the NFC Wild Card Game, the Dallas Cowboys may be about to make some big offseason changes.
Dallas will have to make some difficult decisions in the upcoming months because it is anticipated that the Cowboys will be over the salary cap when the offseason starts and Dak Prescott may soon sign a new contract extension that would put him among the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Cowboys may decide to cut Prescott’s supporting cast of offensive weapons in order to free up cap space.
The Big Lead reports that Brandin Cooks, the star wide receiver for the Cowboys, may end up losing a cap position.
Kyle Koster of The Big Lead states that cutting Brandon Cooks would be a wise decision in order to save money on cap. And with CeeDee Lamb at wide receiver, this offense doesn’t really need much. Especially when it feels like the move is to make the whole offense out of CeeDee Lamb. In any case, Dallas ought to try something different and acquire a more dynamic player along the lines of Deebo Samuel.
Jerry Jones, the general manager and owner, will need to work hard this offseason just to get the Cowboys under the cap.
Dallas is presently $11.06 million over the cap, according to Spotrac, almost two months before the start of the new league year on March 13.
Cooks signed a two-year contract worth $39 million in 2022, so moving on from him might just be one more challenging factor for Jones and the Cowboys to consider.
Dallas would save $4 million in 2024 if Cooks were released before June 1st, but doing so would result in a $6 million dead-cap charge. But if Cook is cut by the Cowboys after June 1st, that will free up $8 million in cap space for the upcoming campaign and spread the dead-money charge over two years, with $2 million coming in 2024 and $4 million coming in 2025.
The Cowboys may decide to target a top wide receiver prospect in the NFL Draft in order to replace Cooks, whose current contract is more cap-friendly for the next three to four seasons.
In the event that the Cowboys decide to part ways with Cooks, Ohio State star Emeka Egbuka would be a logical choice to take over the veteran’s production and role.
Even though the Ohio State Buckeyes’ offense had generational wide receiver prospect Marvin Harrison in the same receiving corps, 6-foot-1 and 265-pound Egbuka was still a useful weapon.
Egbuka averaged 12.6 yards per reception while catching 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns in the 2023 season.
Egbuka also added 16 rushing attempts for 112 yards and two more touchdowns over the previous two seasons. Because of his ability to contribute both as a runner and through the passing game, Egbuka might be the perfect addition to Lamb.
For Heavy.com, Matt Lombardo writes about the NFL, concentrating on the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles. An accomplished NFL reporter with more than ten years of experience, he was formerly the national NFL insider for FanSided and the host of the podcast “The Matt Lombardo Show.” NJ.com and radio stations 97.5 The Fanatic and 97.3 ESPN FM are among the other previous stops. A bit more about Matt Lombardo
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