Despite a relatively slow start to the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys still have time to add a significant new weapon to their offense. Although the team could stick with their current group of receivers, it makes sense to bring in a new talent after releasing WR Michael Gallup.
A new article from Bleacher Report NFL analyst Derrik Klassen suggests that the Cowboys could be a good fit for former Georgia WR Ladd McConkey. McConkey is predicted to be a first or second-round draft pick this year and has an impressive set of skills.
“Ladd McConkey is as polished and explosive a route-runner as you’ll find outside the top 10 in this class,” Klassen wrote on March 28. “But make no mistake: He is not a slot-only player. His best routes are comebacks, outs and post routes from an outside alignment, routes that highlight his burst and snappy route transitions. He is more of a vertical Z than a pure slot player.”
A versatile wide receiver like him who can switch with Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb on the outside sounds like a tough matchup. While McConkey doesn’t have the same numbers as other receivers in the draft, the tapes show that he’s a serious prospect.
Ladd McConkey shines in Athens
In the past few years, Georgia TE Brock Bowers has been the main focus of the team’s passing offense. However, McConkey's rise during the 2021 and 2022 seasons was crucial to the Bulldogs’ second CFP National Championship win.
According to Sports Reference, McConkey started with 31 catches for 447 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 2022, he improved on his first year with 58 catches for 762 yards and 7 touchdowns.
In his final season in Athens, Georgia, he was hampered by injury, so his numbers dropped considerably. Nonetheless, his explosiveness was evident as he averaged 15.9 yards per reception.
What makes McConkey an exciting prospect is his technical skill in route-running combined with incredible speed. NFL.com’s draft profile shows that he ran a 4.39 at the NFL Combine and was ranked the 5th-most athletic WR at this year’s combine.
His breakaway speed is most noticeable in his rushing numbers. McConkey had 13 handoffs at Georgia, averaging 16.6 yards per carry and scoring 4 times over his three seasons as a Bulldog.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Discusses Offseason Plans
On March 25, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy spoke with ESPN reporter Adam Schefter about the Cowboys offseason. As fans and media inquire about the lack of free agency activity, McCarthy supported the organization.
“I’m a big believer in the second to third-year jump, you know we have some young players, we got some guys coming back off of IR that are young players that we’re excited about, so we are definitely improving,” McCarthy stated. “We’re just not part of the free agent market right now… Also there’s a lot left. You’ll probably have a market right before the draft or post-draft, and then you got your June 1 market and obviously we’ll have another draft class.”
Basically, McCarthy indicated that the the Cowboys are still open to free agency moves later in 2024. That may not be the most exciting answer, but it provides some perspective on Dallas' strategy.
