This Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys made its first big move in free agency by signing Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb to a one-year, $5 million deal.
Cobb, a former second-round pick taken by Green Bay in 2011, is one of the most dependable receivers in the business when he's healthy. Dallas seized its opportunity to sign Cobb to a deal just a day after meeting with the Kentucky product.
Here are three positive elements that the Cowboys earned with the signing of Cobb this offseason.
3. Salary Cap Flexibility for Dallas
The Cowboys met with several free agent prospects this week, but only Cobb was signed almost in an instant. They also met with a handful of defensive players like Kansas City's Eric Berry and Miami's Robert Quinn, but neither of them had as much luck in securing a deal.
We're led to believe that Cobb's short-term teal and its price is what drove the team to pull the trigger on the signing. The $5 million granted unto the former Packer only accounts for one-fifth of Dallas' cap space of about $25 million this year, leaving them with more spending options before training camp begins.
Talents like Quinn and Berry have higher value on the market given the relative scarcity of quality players on the market for their respective positions at this point. Therefore, the Cowboys' decision to solidify their offense's passing game first and foremost is a sound move.
Still, the team should continue their search for some much-needed defensive upgrades. But, with the signing of Cobb at a reasonable price out of the way, they can now target several other defensive pieces without having to break the bank.
2. Continued Production at Slot Receiver
Cobb's main role in Dallas' offense will most likely be as the team's primary slot receiver. The franchise just lost Cole Beasley to the Buffalo Bills, leaving quite a void at the slot position that's hard to replace.
His numbers many not have been flashy, but Beasley was one of the league's best possession wideouts operating out of the slot last season. The SMU product was pivotal to quarterback Dak Prescott's bounce-back season, and the Bills couldn't pass up on the opportunity to take Beasley off of Dallas' hands themselves.
Prescott doesn't have to fear the thought of not having a viable target in the slot anymore, as his playing style and Dallas' playbook is highly reliant on that position for his production. Based on ESPN's Todd Archer's report on the Cobb signing, the third-year quarterback's total QB rating of 93.9 when targeting slot receivers ranked as third-best mark in the NFL last season.
That being said, one could even consider Cobb as a slight upgrade at the slot receiver position for Dallas; granted that he remains healthy and continues to produce solid numbers like he'd often done for Aaron Rodgers and the prolific Packers offense.
1. Veteran and Playoff Experience
There are lots of up-and-coming players on the Cowboys offense that need a little more guidance and leadership, and that's where Cobb's addition becomes an intangible asset for the team.
The fabled Dallas franchise looks to return to their title-winning ways from the 90s, and plenty of promise has been shown by America's Favorite Team this past half-decade with its core of young talent in the post-Tony Romo era.
Future Hall-of-Fame tight end Jason Witten was re-signed by the Cowboys to provide that veteran leadership, but his number won't be called as often for actual offensive production this season given his current age. Whereas in Cobb's case, he has an extensive body of work having played in multiple postseasons in Green Bay (six) and has picked up lots of tricks of the trade in the receiving game with Rodgers as his QB.
It's quite hard to believe that Cobb is only 28 years old and is already considered as a bonafide veteran wide receiver in the NFL. But, that's what playing for one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL will do for your career, and Cobb should impart his experience to the all the upstarts in Dallas' offense.
Save for Witten, all of the Cowboys' main offensive weapons on this year's roster – Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup – each have less than five years of NFL experience. And during that span, neither of them have seen play past the divisional round of the playoffs.
Cobb, on the other hand, has played 11 postseason games with two trips to the Conference Championship in his eight-year run with the Packers. And in 2014 and 2016, it was Cobb and the Packers who actually eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs.
Considering that Green Bay missed the playoffs the last two seasons, Cobb should definitely be raring to share his skills and knowledge for the proud Dallas organization on a prove-it deal that could revitalize his career following an injury-bitten 2019 campaign.
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