Cowboys free agency 2022: 49ers sign WR Malik Turner to 1-year deal

A former Cowboys player is moving on to a new team.

The Dallas Cowboys only added two legitimate starters from other teams in free agency, defensive end Dante Fowler and wide receiver James Washington. Neither player has the track record to change the team’s draft plans, and with the draft quickly approaching wide receiver has become an even bigger need.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed free agent WR Malik Turner, who caught 12 passes in his second season with the Cowboys. Turner previously visited another NFC West team, the Arizona Cardinals, before joining the 49ers.

The Cowboys can now add Turner to their shake up of the roster at receiver, which started with trading Amari Cooper and not re-signing Cedrick Wilson. The team extended Michael Gallup, but his ACL recovery makes his status doubtful for the first few games of the season. The team did bring back veteran Noah Brown.

Turner showed flashes as a big-play receiver after the catch, similar to prospects the Cowboys are looking at in the draft like Treylon Burks, Chris Olave, and Drake London. If they were set on drafting one of these first-round talents before knowing if Turner would return, this news doesn’t change much, but the overall depth at the position is still a concern.

The 49ers will be Turner’s second NFC West team, as he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2018.