The Dallas Cowboys were already thin at the receiver position. Factor in the often misused Brandin Cooks’ free agency and Jalen Tolbert entering the final year of his rookie contract, it could quickly become a gaping hole.
Some would argue it already was.
Kavontae Turpin will remain under the Cowboys contractual control but beyond that, it’s really just question marks.
Parlay that with an inability to threaten opponents on the ground and trouble protecting with a makeshift line, then you get Dak Prescott way too often feeling like he must force tight windows into double coverage.
They could pull themselves out of that situation, though if they choose to use the NFL Draft to get a guy like Emeka Egbuka with free agency. The 6-1, 205-pound Egbuka, unlike Cooks, isn’t limited to vertical-only routes.
The Cowboys likely recognize that, and their formal meeting according to Egbuka to went “awesome.”
Egbuka had a pre-existing relationship with new Cowboys coach Junior Adams dating back to Egbuka’s days in high school, so you can imagine that aided in helping the formal meeting feel a little more like home.
Egbuka doesn’t possess that singular “elite trait” necessarily, but when you watch him play, it doesn’t take long to see effortless route-running ability and ball skills.
A little more digging also reveals strong hands and run-block ability which obviously bodes well for him considering the Cowboys are looking to revamp their run game this off-season. Egbuka certainly helps in that department.
Some see him as a slightly bigger version of the Lions Amon-Ra St. Brown.
He just seems to do everything well but “everything” isn’t limited to the football field.
Maybe he is an “elite slot prospect” but with CeeDee Lamb making a living hunting mismatches in motion and lining up everywhere, the Cowboys need somebody else who can also play a little bit of everywhere.
Egbuka might be that guy and it wouldn’t surprise us for a second if the Cowboys had him as the top receiver on their board.
He’s a three-time All Big-10 honoree, a national champion, and a team captain. … all of which suggests he’s a great teammate with plenty of leadership qualities.
As we know, your physical skillset gets you into the league but your mental skillset keeps you there. And Dallas meeting with “The Next Amon-Ra” is a start to a possible discovery there.
