The Washington Commanders remain among the most likely candidates to add a wide receiver before the NFL season begins less than two months from now, but the options appear to be dwindling fast.
A couple months ago, Brandon Aiyuk looked like a promising candidate. However, he has imploded on social media to a significant degree since, and it’s unclear if the Commanders will even be interested should Aiyuk ever actually get his release from the San Francisco 49ers.
Tyreek Hill is also a name that has floated around free agency for months, and which analysts have explored frequently as a potential fit in Washington. But he said Thursday, July 23 that he has “no power” in his injured leg approximately 10 months after suffering a torn ACL and dislocated knee.
That leaves Stefon Diggs as arguably the most sensible option remaining for the Commanders, though other teams have incentive to seek out his services, including potentially the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jarrett Bailey of SB Nation had a different thought earlier this week when he predicted that Diggs will ultimately ink a deal with the Dallas Cowboys to join a juggernaut offense that already includes CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Cowboys Could Field Impossibly Talented Group of WRs by Adding Stefon Diggs
GettyWide receiver Stefon Diggs, formerly of the New England Patriots
Baily authored 61 predictions for the upcoming campaign, the first of which was that Diggs will land in Dallas and not Washington.
“I know everyone is metaphorically stuffing Diggs in a box, taping him up, and FedEx-ing him to the Washington Commanders’ facility in Landover, but it’s another NFC East team that we should keep an eye on,” Bailey contended.
“Outside of stars CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Dallas has zero depth at receiver. Ryan Flournoy, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kavontae Turpin are the names behind the terrific duo — that simply won’t cut it,” he continued. “Signing Diggs as a chess piece who can move around both on the perimeter and the slot, just like Lamb and Pickens can do, would give the Cowboys the best trio of pass-catchers in the NFL.”
Cowboys’ Need at Wide Receiver Doesn’t Match Stefon Diggs’ Likely Price Tag
GettyWide receiver Ryan Flournoy of the Dallas Cowboys.
The two biggest problems with Bailey’s prediction are that Dallas may not have the money to pay Diggs, and that trying to find it arguably isn’t worth the effort given Flournoy’s trajectory.
If the Cowboys feel the same as several prominent analysts do about their 2024 sixth-round pick, they won’t be looking to spend any more money on WRs. The team has just shy of $5.5 million in available salary cap space, while Diggs’ market value is two years and $27.65 million total, according to Spotrac.
There is no guarantee Diggs gets that much. But based on need, it is reasonable to expect he could squeeze more out of Washington or Kansas City than Dallas as Week 1 approaches.
Flournoy, meanwhile, will cost the Cowboys just $1.075 million this season. As such, if Dallas believes he can improve in any meaningful way beyond the 40 catches for 475 yards and four TDs he provided last season, it doesn’t make sense to spend so much more heavily on a 32-year-old pass-catcher in Diggs who is nearly six years Flournoy’s senior.
That goes double for Dallas considering its defense, while improved this offseason, still demands more immediate investment than the offense — and triple when contemplating how Pickens might react to the team paying a veteran WR3 a significant amount on a two-year deal when it refused to negotiate a longterm extension with him this spring.
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