For myriad reasons, the Cowboys’ receiving corps will look considerably different in 2022 than it did in 2021.
The team has moved on from Amari Cooper, essentially dumping his salary onto the Browns a fifth-round pick and swap of sixth-rounders in the NFL Draft. Cedrick Wilson Jr. left as a free agent and signed with the Dolphins.
CeeDee Lamb is now the team’s undisputed No. 1 receiver, both in title and production. But whatever support he hoped to receive from returning teammates and new additions has taken several hits, with multiple players out injured to begin the preseason.
Expect growing pains for what will be a young group, especially early. That said, Lamb has established himself as one of the NFL’s elite receivers, while Dak Prescott (4,449 passing yards, 37 touchdowns in 2021) has shown no signs of slowing down since returning from the ankle injury that ended his 2020 season early.
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Also look for the Cowboys to continue feeding the ball to running back Ezekiel Elliott, whom owner Jerry Jones has clearly prioritized as a linchpin of the offense (as evidenced by the team moving on from Cooper and Wilson).
Here’s a breakdown of the Cowboys’ 2022 wide receiver depth chart, which begins with a sure thing in Lamb before devolving into uncertainty:
Cowboys’ WR depth chart
1. CeeDee Lamb
Lamb became the team’s leading receiver in 2021, supplanting Cooper in just his second season. He commanded the most targets (120) and led the team in receptions (79) and yards (1,102). He finished tied for third on the team in touchdowns (six).
All that is to say that Dallas knew Lamb would be the WR1 of the future, making the decision to move on from Cooper easier. Lamb played considerable snaps from the slot in 2021, but should see more plays as a flanker this season.
The question now is whether losing Cooper and Wilson will affect the way defenses cover the third-year receiver. To that end, he’ll need Michael Gallup and Jalen Tolbert to step up their play.
He’ll have to wait for Gallup to take some pressure off him, however.
2. Michael Gallup
Gallup, when healthy, was the team’s No. 3 receiver behind Cooper and Lamb last season, and he should have moved directly to the No. 2 spot this season.
Unfortunately for the fifth-year receiver, the injury bug that plagued him in 2021 has followed him into 2022: After missing Weeks 2-8 on injured reserve with a calf injury, he suffered a torn ACL in the team’s Week 17 loss to the Cardinals after making an impressive touchdown grab.
He is still rehabbing from that injury and will be out at least for the team’s Week 1 game vs. the Bucs.
Michael Gallup will not be available for Cowboys season opener, he says. “That’s not a reasonable possibility.”
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) July 28, 2022
Gallup has been the Cowboys’ best deep threat of late, as evidenced by his 35-catch, 445-yard, two-touchdown production in the injury-shortened 2021 season. Dallas clearly values Gallup as a potential No. 2 option; it signed him to a five-year, $62.5 million contract in the offseason even though he is still rehabbing.
Once he returns from injury, expect him to be a major contributor.
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3. Jalen Tolbert
Tolbert posted 146 receptions, 2,559 yards and 16 touchdowns his last two seasons at South Alabama. The 6-1, 195-pound rookie also logged a respectable 4.49 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine, suggesting he has the physical tools to be an immediate contributor.
With the injuries to Gallup and James Washington (more on that in a minute), Tolbert has a real opportunity to step in as the team’s No. 2 receiver in the early portion of the season.
He had limited exposure to NFL talent with USA, but he showed out against his biggest competition. He cooked Tennessee for 143 yards and a score on seven catches in 2021.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones has expressed confidence in the young receiver, framing Gallup and Washington’s injuries as opportunities for the rookie.
“Let’s give these young guys the incentive, our young receivers. We thought highly of them when we came out,” Jones said (via ESPN). “We’ll get (Washington) rehabbed. . . . But it doesn’t create an urgency for us to add a veteran receiver. We like these young guys.”
4. James Washington
Washington, who won the Biletnikoff Award in 2017 as college football’s best receiver, hasn’t lived up to his billing in the NFL. The Steelers allowed their 2018 second-round pick enter free agency following the 2021 season. Dallas signed him to a one-year, $1.1 million deal the same week it traded Cooper.
Whatever plans the Cowboys had for Washington will have to be put on hold, however: He is out six to 10 weeks with a foot fracture suffered on the first day of practice with full pads.
Cowboys WR James Washington fractured his right foot on this play. He’s expected to be out 6-10 weeks. Similar injury to what DeMarcus Lawrence suffered last year that caused him to miss 10 games pic.twitter.com/R5nkhIxtdy
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 1, 2022
Best-case scenario, he is out for only the Cowboys’ season opener vs. the Buccaneers. Otherwise, he could be out through the team’s first five games. When he comes back, Dallas will hope he returns to his second-year form, when he produced 735 yards and three touchdowns on 44 catches.
5. Noah Brown
Like many of his counterparts lower on the depth chart, Brown stands to move onto a more significant role in 2022 after playing in a limited capacity previously. The Cowboys re-signed him in March to a one year extension worth $1.2 million.
To date, Brown has 39 receptions for 425 yards and no touchdowns in four years with the Cowboys. He hasn’t been used much as a downfield target, but his familiarity with coordinator Kellen Moore’s scheme makes him a viable target.
The Cowboys will need him to be more productive in 2022, especially with Gallup and Washington out early on.
6. Dennis Houston
Houston has been a surprise in training camp. Lamb praised the undrafted rookie’s route-running ability.
“How smooth he is in and out of his breaks,” Lamb said of Houston (via The Athletic). “His releases are A-1. For him to have that already, just off his ability, you can only add to that.”
Houston is coming off a career-best season with Western Illinois, where he produced 1,015 yards and six touchdowns on 90 receptions as a senior. A lot of his production at WIU came after the catch, so look for Moore to find opportunities for him to turn short routes into long gains.
Houston’s place on the depth chart will be decided in part by how well he adjusts to playing against NFL-level talent.
7. KaVontae Turpin
Dallas signed the 2022 USFL MVP on July 29. Turpin led the league in several categories, including receiving yards (540), yards after catch (316), punt return yards (184) and punt return average (15.3 yards).
Turpin was also a prolific return man at TCU, where he combined for 123 punt and kick returns for 2,726 return yards and six touchdowns in four seasons. The Cowboys will look at Turpin primarily as a returner, but his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands could make him a potential receiving option.
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