Why should Cowboys draft a WR when they can swipe Detroit’s best?

By Anthony Bialy  |   Wednesday, April 09, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

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The biggest issue over adding Roy Williams to the Cowboys is whether he or the current Roy Williams employed at safety by the team would have to use their middle initials on their jerseys. Other than that, make the trade. He’d be a huge pickup at a need position, and the Williams who’s presently a Lions wideout would go better with Dallas than a cherry in a Manhattan.

A rarity for the Lions, namely a productive, prominent wide receiver, Williams may nonetheless find his way out of Michigan soon. It’s not that he’s a miserable loafing failure like so many Detroit receivers have amazingly managed to become this decade; it’s that Williams is going to get much richer soon.

Williams’ contract expires after this season, which means that he’ll need to be re-signed soon by the Lions for all practical purposes; otherwise, he can go anywhere he wants after the season or face the misery of the franchise tag in 2009. Detroit could avoid that by dealing him now and at least getting something for him. Enter Dallas, who has the opportunity to emerge as the predator with the Lions as the prey; the latter of which would sound wrong if it were happening on the National Geographic Channel but seems completely normal in NFL terms regarding this particular low-on-the-food-chain franchise.

He’s a perfect target for Dallas. Topping out with a fantastic 1,310 yards from 82 receptions in 2006, he caught 64 passes for 838 yards last season in 12 games. His noteworthy average career gain of 14.9 yards per catch means he’s picking up a lot of ground after his many catches, too. Most impressively, he’s done this for a historically inept sports organization. Imagine how well he’d do catching passes from Tony Romo instead of, say, John Kitna or Joey Harrington, and it’s clear he hasn’t hit the ceiling yet.

Williams has missed short portions to injury, including being shelved for 2007’s final two games due to a knee injury. But he’s only been inactive for nine games over his four seasons, so it’s not as if he’s missed huge patches of consecutive action. Also, “He’s hurt sometimes” beats “He’s not good” or “He doesn’t try.”

Overall, the positives far outweigh any drawbacks, especially for a franchise that should be focused on deepening its receiver pool. Terrell Owens is 34, and Patrick Crayton caught 50 passes last season, his highest career total; he’s better as a sidekick than behind the desk. This offense needs to add a top wideout, and getting this deal done for an established pro would be infinitely better for the team than taking a gamble on a college kid who may take until around 2011 to emerge.

It’s not that they’d be able to save a draft choice for something more luxurious, as they’d likely have to surrender at least one in the transaction. But the upside is that there’s no player they could acquire with the departed pick or picks who would be able to match Williams’ production.

He’s a sure thing, which is literally more than can be said for anyone who will be drafted. Giving up something valuable for, and paying something substantial to, receiver Roy Williams would be well worth it. Unlike, say, picking up a redundant Arkansas running back or Tennessee crime machine, Williams to Dallas is an offseason rumor that actually makes sense and should happen.
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