Does the NFL betting market know one thing in regards to the Cowboys offseason plans that we don’t? That is the query simply days into the unceremonious begin of stated offseason for the Cowboys, arriving right here by lacking the playoffs with a 7-10 report and ending the 12 months on a two-game shedding streak. Dallas has critical work to do forward of them to overtake a roster that went from profitable 12 video games annually from 2021-23, however confronted season-long flaws compiled by a rash of accidents that made 2024 a misplaced 12 months.
For what feels just like the hundredth time in the previous couple of seasons, vast receiver is but once more a place the Cowboys can seemingly get probably the most bang for his or her buck and raise to their viability as a playoff contender with an improve. Based on Sports activities Betting AG, they’re at present the favourite to be Tyreek Hill’s subsequent group.
The Cowboys are slender favorites over the Raiders, Falcons, Payments, and Patriots in the meanwhile. Together with the Cowboys, all of those groups outdoors of Buffalo missed the playoffs this season. The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce after only one season (after an interim stint the 12 months earlier than) due to this, eager to get a brand new head coach in place earlier than restarting their seek for a franchise QB. Whoever that QB could also be, they are going to have record-breaking TE Brock Bowers going into simply his second season in 2025, and pairing him with Hill would assist Las Vegas embrace the mentality of their new house metropolis and get again to placing on a present offensively.
The Falcons noticed a late-season spark from rookie quarterback Michael Penix, however nonetheless left them wanting the playoffs, shedding out on the NFC South for the fourth straight 12 months to the Buccaneers regardless of profitable each head-to-head matchups. Penix’s skill to throw the deep ball was one among his finest traits as a prospect out of Washington, and connecting with Hill whereas additionally having Bijan Robinson out of the backfield would equally give Atlanta a full complement of weapons on offense.
Lastly, the Patriots turned yet one more group to fireside a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo, with proprietor Robert Kraft being very vocal about how poorly the group has drafted placing Mayo in an “untenable” state of affairs. New England’s most obtrusive want has been on the talent positions for a lot too lengthy now. The Patriots have drafted six receivers during the last 4 years, however have been nonetheless led in receptions and receiving yards by tight finish Hunter Henry in quarterback Drake Maye’s rookie season. They haven’t had a WR eclipse 1,000 yards since Julian Edelman in 2019, which was Tom Brady’s final season. The chance to maintain Hill inside the AFC East is actually one thing they need to be inquisitive about.
Picture by Al Bello/Getty Photographs
Once more apart from the Payments, the Cowboys being favorited to land Hill could also be a testomony to their quarterback state of affairs over the opposite struggling groups talked about right here. Hill’s frustrations in Miami after lacking the playoffs for the primary time in his three seasons there have boiled over into the star WR boldly claiming he has performed his final down for the Dolphins regardless of nonetheless having two years left on his contract and a $26.9 million cap hit in 2025. Even when the Dolphins have been within the playoffs with Hill, their reliance on massive performs within the passing sport as the one section they prioritize sufficient to compete was stymied by drawing chilly climate video games away from south Florida. In final 12 months’s loss to Hill’s former group the Chiefs, the previous KC Tremendous Bowl champion was held to 5 catches for 62 yards. The Dolphins have been eradicated within the Wild Card spherical for the second straight 12 months, and left looking for their first playoff win since 2000, the longest energetic streak within the league that can carry over into subsequent 12 months.
This season, Hill’s 959 receiving yards have been the fewest he’s had in a full season performed since his 2016 rookie 12 months. His six touchdowns additionally match a profession low from 2016, and catching passes from 4 completely different quarterbacks because the Dolphins turned to Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Tim Boyle when Tua Tagovailoa was unavailable doesn’t assist the general state of affairs both.
The Cowboys present state of affairs with Dak Prescott is much from good, as he’ll go into 2025 off one other season-ending damage and nonetheless with all the pieces to show in residing as much as changing into the highest-paid participant in NFL historical past this previous offseason. The closest the Cowboys have ever come to being taken critically as an actual contender beneath Prescott is after they’ve loaded up at WR although, and pairing Hill with CeeDee Lamb will surely accomplish this. Dallas confirmed flashes within the closing sport of the season began by Trey Lance of secondary receivers like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and even return man KaVontae Turpin making performs, however can’t go into the 2025 season anticipating this committee strategy round Lamb to yield the outcomes they’ll anticipate from Prescott within the cross sport.
The early offseason tea leaves are all pointing to go coach and offensive play-caller Mike McCarthy returning, and with that the Cowboys skill to make massive performs on this facet of the ball will rightfully be scrutinized. Lamb and Hill would give the Cowboys two dynamic gamers with the run-after-catch skill and uncooked game-breaking talent to lastly be a formidable opponent to scout towards, one thing that hasn’t been stated almost typically sufficient about them compared to the assets they’ve allotted on offense.
Nonetheless, for Dallas to be flat out favorites in the meanwhile to land Hill is a serious shock. It’s nicely understood inside the fanbase that that is merely not the kind of transfer this group will usually make, and Stephen Jones put the concept in fan’s heads early that this will probably be one other establishment “tight” offseason for the Cowboys.
When contemplating the lengthy listing of contributors from this previous season set to hit unrestricted free company, issues are already establishing properly for the Cowboys entrance workplace to do what they’ve performed over and over and promote retaining their very own expertise as really upgrading the roster. Working again Rico Dowdle, vast receiver Brandin Cooks, quarterbacks Trey Lance and Cooper Rush, offensive linemen Chuma Edoga and Zack Martin, defensive linemen DeMarcus Lawrence, Carl Lawson, Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston, Carlos Watkins, and Linval Joseph, linebacker Eric Kendricks, and cornerback Jourdan Lewis are all key gamers that can want a brand new contract to proceed taking part in for America’s Crew.
On one hand, this makes the concept of including Tyreek HIll to the books a tough one to consider. On the opposite, vast receiver is the place the Cowboys most just lately made a splash commerce, albeit again in 2018 with Amari Cooper. The consequence was saving a season that appeared destined to complete outdoors the playoffs similar to the 2024 Cowboys, and profitable the NFC East as a substitute. The Cowboys completed a distant third to the Eagles and Commanders in their very own division this 12 months thanks largely to not having the firepower both of those groups had offensively, so it’s inside motive to say Hill is a large enough chip to alter the dynamic of who must be favorites to win the NFC East in 2025 – a division with an energetic streak of not having a repeat winner in 21 years.
David Santiago/Miami Herald/Tribune Information Service by way of Getty Photographs
Present gamers publicly recruiting others from across the league to hitch their respective groups is nothing new, and it’ll come as no shock if this continues in an enormous approach with Hill ought to the Dolphins be unable to fix the connection in any respect. Cowboys star cross rusher Micah Parsons beat the remainder of the league to this punch on Monday although, tweeting that Hill ought to take into account becoming a member of the Cowboys to develop into the quickest duo within the league. In fact, Parsons and Hill wouldn’t be capable to put their velocity to the take a look at on the sphere on the identical time, however Hill, Lamb, and as a real third WR Tolbert, all may. This trio would give McCarthy’s offense, constructed round creating brief completions that may go for greater positive factors after the catch and getting the ball out of a QBs fingers, an actual shot to have a bounce-back 12 months.
It could not really feel prefer it after the Cowboys simply completed 2-6 at house, however it is a Dallas group nonetheless only a 12 months faraway from going undefeated at AT&T Stadium within the common season and lighting up scoreboards on a weekly foundation within the course of. With the advantage of an additional house sport on the schedule subsequent season, the Cowboys may do nicely to get again to those profitable methods at house in related style because of Hill.
Hill could include some off-field baggage and be a big character for the Cowboys locker room to tackle, however for the second his public gripe with the Dolphins is that lacking the playoffs and never seeing a path ahead to rivalry is the primary motive he needs out. It is a participant that began his profession being the highest receiver for a QB that’s catapulted himself into the all-time nice dialogue with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Merely put, the Cowboys want extra gamers with Hill’s obvious stance on the significance of taking part in their finest soccer within the postseason, and it doesn’t damage in any respect that his talent set is tailor made to fill a serious void in Dallas.
With the sheer quantity of issues that felt damaged past restore for the 2024 Cowboys, it must be thought of a present from the soccer gods {that a} potential repair to one among their largest points at vast receiver is seemingly accessible on the commerce market. This group should discover a way – any approach in any respect, actually – to publicly show they’ve realized among the classes of why this previous season was a failure within the offseason. Making an enormous splash at a place of must immediately assist a participant they’ve already made a franchise dedication to at QB can be an enormous approach to accomplish this.