Why the Cowboys have solid wide receiver depth
The Dallas Cowboys placed wide receiver Parris Campbell on the reserve/retired list, signaling the end of his professional football journey. He leaves the game after seven seasons, most of which occurred with the Indianapolis Colts, highlighted by a career 2022 season where he finished with 63 catches for 623 yards and three touchdowns. After four years in Indy, he had a one-year stint with three of the four NFC East teams – first New York, then Philly, and then finally last year with Dallas, with each stay becoming increasingly shorter.
During his good years, Campbell was an absolute blazer with 4.31 speed who was known for making big plays after the catch. Health issues plagued his time in the NFL, with just about every lower extremity injury you could think of impacting his playing career. His time in Dallas was next to nil after suffering a knee injury in training camp last season and only seeing the field for one game, where he did not register a single offensive stat.
His sudden retirement doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The tiring injury battles, combined with a crowded house of bottom-roster depth candidates, created an uphill battle for him to make the team. You could even make a case that the Cowboys anticipated his possible departure because immediately after the draft, they signed a couple of free agent wide receivers. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Tyler Johnson both joined the squad on cost-effective, one-year contracts, shoring up the receiving depth. While fans will now forget Parris, this serves as a good time to remind everyone of what the Cowboys have in their more recent receiving acquisitions as we approach OTAs.
The addition of Valdes-Scantling gives the team an eight-year veteran with over 100 games of experience. He spent his first four years with the Green Bay Packers catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, where he averaged over 500 yards receiving. He then joined the Kansas City Chiefs as a target for Patrick Mahomes, where he again averaged over 500 yards receiving across two seasons and earned two Super Bowl rings. Things have since tapered off for him as he’s played for four different teams over two seasons.
While last season was a disappointment for him, the prior seasons have shown that he’s a legit weapon in the vertical game. Valdes-Scantling has great speed, and whether or not he’s hauling in passes, his average depth of target is typically one of the highest in the league, and it forces defenses to respect the deep ball. Recapturing some vintage Valdes-Scantling and meshing it into this offense could create an interesting habitat for the rest of the Cowboys’ passing game that will feature CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens running around creating havoc.
The team also signed Tyler Johnson, a former fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who has spent the better part of his six-year career just trying to find a home. He started his career in Florida catching passes from Tom Brady, but was buried on the depth chart as the Bucs were loaded at wide receiver with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and even a veteran Antonio Brown. He spent the next two seasons bouncing around on practice squads before getting a chance with the Los Angeles Rams. But again, he was stuck behind some good receivers, this time Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Injuries to both guys opened up some opportunities, and he put together a solid year in 2024. Last year, he started on the New York Jets practice squad before playing his way onto the active roster for 12 games.
If Johnson makes the team, it won’t be as a downfield burner. His role would more likely turn into a physical route runner who will work the short and intermediate parts of the field. He’s a smart player (a former quarterback) who is sharp at finding soft spots in coverage, and is a physical blocker who would be a nice asset in the running game. If he were to find any time of meaningful role in this offense, it would be as a nice safety valve, leaving the explosive plays to Lamb and Pickens.
The loss of Campbell doesn’t do much to change the Cowboys’ receiving depth situation. They are still looking for that lucky number WR5 to join Lamb, Pickens, KaVontae Turpin, and Ryan Flournoy. It’s a wide-open battle with some youngsters fighting for a spot, and a couple of former Super Bowl Champions added to the mix. It should make for an interesting training camp.
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