Los Angeles Rams v Dallas Cowboys | Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages
It has been an eventful 24 hours for the Dallas Cowboys to say the least.
Not only are Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence involved in a highly entertaining social media fracas, which elicited a response from various current members of the team, but the team emerged as a candidate to sign free-agent wide receiver Cooper Kupp following his Rams release.
The Cowboys weren’t initially involved in the Kupp sweepstakes. Some reporters insisted they were in the mix, but the general consensus has been the Joneses wouldn’t pay what is necessary to bring the former Super Bowl MVP to Dallas, which desperately needs a complementary receiver.
The Joneses striking out on a highly-coveted free agent is usually a safe bet and that is exactly what has happened with Kupp, who has reportedly agreed to terms with the Seahawks, per NFL Network.
Cowboys miss out on Cooper Kupp as former Rams WR signs with
Thus, the Cowboys’ search for a wide receiver continues.
Adam Schefter of ESPN made it seem like Dallas was one of the finalists to land Kupp. The verbiage of his report suggested as much. Schefter stated the Cowboys were working on a deal with the former Offensive Player of the Year. He later clarified that they made a “push” for Kupp, but are not considered the likely landing spot.
It didn’t take long for the Dallas media to throw cold water on the Kupp smoke. Reports have suggested the 31-year-old asked for as much as $13-14 million per year, which is some $5 million more than what his market was expected to look like. NFL Network is reporting Kupp will make $15 million or more on his Seahawks contract.
Related: Cowboys sign former rival RB, set up dream backfield scenario
This could end up being a blessing in disguise for the Cowboys. While Kupp still has some juice, would be a great fit on paper opposite CeeDee Lamb and has a history with Dallas’ new WRs coach Junior Adams, it would be hard to justify paying that much to an aging receiver who has missed 18 games the last three years due to injury.
It could also end up being a missed opportunity depending on if the front office adds a receiver before the NFL Draft. Kupp would be the team’s best WR2 since Amari Cooper. The lack of a consistent secondary wideout was a huge reason why the offense took a step back last season.
Kupp would have plugged a massive hole, but other big-name receivers are still available, including Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen and Diontae Johnson. While not great options, each of them would be an upgrade over what the team currently has at the position.
Missing out on Kupp is far from the end of the world, but it should definitely light a fire under the Joneses to bring in a quality pass-catcher before the market dries up completely.
