Cowboys WR Cedrick Wilson has huge opportunity over next month of play
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t just suffer a heartbreaking two-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 they learned they’d be without one of their biggest offensive weapons for a while. Wide receiver Michael Gallup was placed on injured reserve Monday with a strained calf and will miss the next three to five weeks. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they have Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb to help soften such a blow.
2021 is a contract season for Gallup so this setback isn’t ideal by any means. Many believe his price tag may be too high for the Cowboys and he’ll get his first big payday with another team. That all remains to be seen but his absence creates an opportunity for fourth-year receiver Cedrick Wilson who has a chance over the next month to show he can be another reliable threat in the passing game if Gallup goes elsewhere in 2022.
Wilson was drafted in the sixth round in 2018, three rounds after the Cowboys took Gallup. The former Boise State Bronco would be put on injured reserve after suffering a torn labrum while re-injuring in his shoulder in training camp, something he battled during his final collegiate season. After being released in August of 2019, Wilson was signed to the practice squad a few days later and was activated to the active roster shortly after. Unfortunately, a knee injury put him back on injured reserve in December, and Wilson only ended up with five receptions for 46 yards in six games.
The biggest splash Wilson has made with the Cowboys came in 2020. In a Week 3 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson finished second on the team in receptions (5) and yards (107) to Gallup, ironically, and added two touchdowns. For the season, he amassed 17 receptions for 189 yards while logging 228 offensive snaps.
The start to the 2021 season for Wilson was a success despite the Cowboys’ loss. In 34 snaps he caught all three of his targets for 24 yards. His time on the field with quarterback Dak Prescott has been limited but Wilson has done enough to gain the trust of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, which he expressed Monday.
“Ced will operate in there. No issues, no concerns,” Moore said. “He’s the utility guy. He can do a little bit of everything. Obviously, you saw him on Thursday night when he had to go in there and I felt like we didn’t miss a beat.”
Wilson isn’t the player Gallup is, no one would say that. He does, however, have great size at 6-foot-3 making him a possible red zone target. Wilson will work mainly in the slot with Gallup out but has shown the ability to play on the outside as well which gives Moore plenty of options when it comes to attacking through the air. Also, Prescott completes 71.4% of his passes to Wilson which proves there’s good chemistry between the two.
There’s no telling what the future will hold for Gallup in a Cowboys uniform. If Wilson can produce at a relatively high level in his absence it will make parting ways with Gallup easier for the Cowboys, assuming that’s the route they take after the season.
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