Why Dallas might consider bringing back WR Randall Cobb

Randall Cobb is about to become a free agent and could be very helpful to his former head coach.

Even if you don’t think it’s their biggest need, wide receiver is certainly on everyone’s list for the Dallas Cowboys’ top offseason priorities. They’ll need to make at least a couple of moves to have a capable group for 2023. While hardly the flashiest addition they could make, could veteran Randall Cobb be a free agent that attracts their attention?

Cobb played for Dallas in 2019, replacing Cole Beasley as the slot receiver and rounding out the top three with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. He had a very productive year with 55 catches for 828 yards and three touchdowns. With Jason Witten spending that season in Monday Night Football booth, Cobb provided immediate value as an experienced option working underneath routes for Dak Prescott.

Despite the good numbers, Dallas didn’t re-sign Cobb the following offseason. They wound up drafting CeeDee Lamb with their first-round pick, likely planning to draft a WR somewhere early all along. Cobb went on to spend 2020 with the Texans and has been with the Packers for the last two seasons, reuniting with Aaron Rodgers and the team where he’s spent the majority of his career.

From 2011-2018, Cobb also worked with current Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. He was a valued member of that Packers’ offense for many years. And now that McCarthy is taking a firmer grip on the offense in Dallas, could he be interested in Cobb’s presence to help with that transition?

Granted, Cobb turns 33 years old in August. But age didn’t stop Dallas from adding T.Y. Hilton off the street last December. Despite having zero experience with the Cowboys’ coaches, Hilton came in at 33 and made a solid impact with limited opportunities.

Now one might ask why McCarthy would want Cobb now if he didn’t want him back in 2020. But remember, that was still Kellen Moore’s offense. Plus, coming off his strong year with the Cowboys, Cobb was able to get a three-year, $27 million contract from Houston. There was no way the miserly Cowboys were going to pay that much for an aging receiver.

Three years later, Cobb couldn’t expect much more than the veteran minimum. And even if his physical skills have suffered with increased age, his value to the team could be more in the way of veteran leadership and especially providing a bridge between his former coach and former teammates.

With Kellen Moore leaving Dallas for the Chargers, McCarthy is taking over play-calling and Brian Schottenheimer is now the offensive coordinator. We will no doubt see a shift towards more of the offensive philosophy that McCarthy used in Green Bay, which Cobb lived and breathed for almost a decade.

This would hardly be the only move Dallas should make at WR this offseason. They need to be thinking about Michael Gallup’s 2022 struggles and considering someone who could potentially step in as the number-two receiver. At best, Cobb would be fourth on the depth chart and hopefully getting pushed for playing time by younger guys like Jalen Tolbert and Simi Fehoko.

But given the question marks swirling around all of those other receivers, couldn’t a guy like Randall Cobb provide some value? His age is a concern, but he has the unique circumstance of having starred for Mike McCarthy in Green Bay and successfully working with Dak Prescott, Michael Gallup, and others just a few years ago in Dallas. As long as he still has some juice left on the field, Cobb might get consideration from the Cowboys’ front office in the coming months.