One of the players who will get a lot of attention in the upcoming free agency is Allen Robinson. One of the teams that should take a look at him is Dallas Cowboys. Robinson seems like a natural choice for Dez Bryant’s replacement.
Bryant’s future is still up in the air. In the past Cowboys have parted ways with players who refused to take a pay cut. Dez’s salary has a massive hit on the salary cap and America’s Team will either cut him or ask him for a pay cut. He still has enough quality to make the difference in the NFL but not at $12.5 million a year.
If it comes to cutting him, Cowboys shouldn’t look further from Allan Robinson.
Jaguars will either let him go or franchise tag him. If they release him, Cowboys should jump at the opportunity to sign him as Bryant’s replacement. At 24 years old he’s a younger and most of all cheaper option for them. One of the two problems is that he’s coming back from torn ACL injury. The other one is that he’s going to be highly regarded by other receiver-needy teams in the NFL.
Allen is a 6-foot-3, 211-pound receiver who, before the injury, was one of the upcoming NFL stars. In 2015 he had 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns on 80 receptions which were enough for Pro Bowl selection. Former second-round pick from Penn State posted 17.5 yards per catch that season which was a second-best record among receivers with over 100 targets. In 2016 his numbers dropped. He recorded six touchdowns from 76 receptions for 883 yards.
So, the questions remaining are whether will Jaguars let him go and is he worth the risk? Jacksonville could franchise-tag him to see if he can perform as he did in 2015 before tying him to a long-term contract. The risk comes with his injury. He will heal before 2018 season, but it’s not sure what kind of player he is going to be.
Also, an interesting stat is that his catch percentage in 2016 was 48.3%. Dez, who had worst year in his career in 2017 caught 53.3% of passes thrown at him. And remember, he dropped 12 balls last year.
In the end, whoever plays at No1 receiver in 2018 for Cowboys will need to do a better job than Bryant did last year. Also, if Dak Prescott doesn’t improve his accuracy, there’s not much that any receiver could do in Dallas.
