Cowboys need to go all in on free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason

With the Dallas Cowboys needing to address the wide receiver position this offseason, they should be aggressive in signing Odell Beckham Jr.

The Dallas Cowboys were not shy about their interest in free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. throughout the back-stretch of the 2022 season. They had meetings with him and had star players Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs take him courtside to a Dallas Mavericks game. Ultimately, a deal was not reached due to Beckham not being fully healthy in time to make a playoff run. Now that the season is over, it is time to revisit these negotiations, as the Cowboys need help in the wide receiver room.

Looking at the upcoming free agent options at wide receiver, there are not a lot of amazing options to choose from. The best names that stand out are New England Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers, Kansas City Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Green Bay Packers WR Allen Lazard.

Odell Beckham Jr. appears healthy now. He posted a tweet showing off his route-running abilities, which has many fans excited about a possible return to the field.

While attending the Senior Bowl, team owner Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones made several news-worthy statements regarding the upcoming offseason. One of the more notable comments was confirming that the team will resume contract talks with Odell.

Oh, absolutely,” Stephen said. “We brought Odell Beckham Jr. in for a visit. Decided he wasn’t ready to play. (But) that’s the way we left it with him. Get ready to play, and then let’s revisit. We obviously had an interest for a reason.”

This should get Cowboys fans excited. Beckham is an experienced play-maker, and has had a history of terrorizing the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T stadium. In his eight games against the Cowboys, he has 40 receptions, 558 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns.

Talent and play-making ability has never been the question with Beckham Jr., it has been injuries and team chemistry concerns. He has been outgoing about his interest in joining the Dallas Cowboys, and is already close with many of the top players on the roster.

One of the main reasons why this move makes the most sense for the Cowboys is that they need players who can efficiently complement WR CeeDee Lamb in the 2023 season. When the Cowboys traded away WR Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, the front office was hopeful that Lamb could step up as a true WR1 in the NFL. He certainly lived up to those expectations. He put up a career high 107 receptions, 1,359 receiving yards, and 9 receiving touchdowns. What the front office was not prepared for was the massive drop off of production at WR2. Lamb was able to produce like Cooper did as the WR1, but WR Michael Gallup was unable to produce like Lamb did as the WR2 on the team. It is possible that Gallup was never fully healthy throughout the season. With that being said, he still failed to have a game with more than 65 receiving yards. The Cowboys have to make it a priority to have more play-makers around Lamb in the 2023 season.

Odell Beckham Jr. is a realistic option for the Cowboys this offseason. Many fans want the Cowboys to pursue a big playmaker such as Arizona Cardinals WR Deandre Hopkins through a trade. But realistically, this is not something the Cowboys would be looking to do. Hopkins has a cap hit of $30.75 million in 2023 according to Spotrac.com. The front office typically does not like to invest this type of money in players they did not draft themselves, and Lamb is due for a contract extension in the near future. When considering the price tag of elite options they could trade for, as well as considering the lackluster field to choose from among upcoming free agents, Beckham is the best option for the Cowboys this offseason if they are looking to improve their wide receiver room. It also may be important to sign him because if the Cowboys do not, he could be making a reunion with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him. There has been mutual interest among both Beckham Jr. and the Giants in reaching a contract agreement. It would be wise for the Cowboys to not just make their own team better, but prevent a division rival from becoming stronger.