Pick up Plaxico?

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Plaxico Burress could be productive with Cowboys

By Jeff Wade
ESPNDallas.com
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The Dallas Cowboys have a sizable concern when it comes to depth at the wide receiver position.

If the season were to begin today, their No. 3 guy would be Kevin Ogletree, who has done nothing to inspire confidence in his abilities after catching only 25 balls in 31 career games despite plenty of opportunities to seize the job.

Actually, that's wrong. If the season started today he'd be the Cowboys' No. 2 wide receiver because Miles Austin is sidelined with a bad hammy.

Again.

Austin's hamstring held him back for a good chunk of last season as well. And let's just hope that Dez Bryant's amazing start to camp carries over into the regular season and none of his off-the-field issues cause Roger Goodell to make the Cowboys' receiver depth even thinner with a Dez suspension.

Other guys in the mix at receiver: Dwayne Harris, Danny Coale, Tim Benford, Raymond Radway, Andre Holmes and Cole Beasley. Go add up their career NFL receptions. It's fun, try it.

The Cowboys hit a home run last year by finding Laurent Robinson and turning him into an 800-yard receiver. But let's face it, they got lucky there. Don't expect that lightning to strike twice in consecutive seasons.

Because of the massive amount of inexperience at wide receiver and the less than comforting circumstances for Austin and Bryant, the Cowboys need to bring in Plaxico Burress and all his baggage to see if he's a fit. This is different to me than taking a look at T.O. (too much bad history here) or Braylon Edwards (who did nothing last year).

Plaxico is old, he turns 35 this month, but he put up solid numbers last season (45 catches, 612 yards, eight TDS) and would give Tony Romo a big target.

Romo, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten are all older players who have talked about an urgency to get things done now. Jerry Jones has hinted at a closing window of opportunity. The Cowboys are too weak at an important position for an offense that wants to take advantage of Romo's elite playmaking skills. He needs weapons.

Burress may not be the answer, but I'd rather take a look and know that answer for certain than get into the season, be left shorthanded and wonder if he could've worked out. Get him in here.

Picking up Plax would be preposterous

By Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPNDallas.com
Archive

There's no way Jason Garrett would waste time or money on receiver Plaxico Burress, who turns 35 on Sunday.

Burress is the kind of player a team with championship aspirations signs because his baggage and age make the risk worth it.

The Dallas Cowboys, who have missed the playoffs the past two seasons while compiling an 14-18 record, aren't Super Bowl contenders this season.

Besides, Garrett understands there's no shortcut to the process of building a consistent winner, which is what he's trying to do in Dallas.

Anyone who has watched the first couple of weeks of training camp knows it's absurd for the Cowboys to go into the regular season with any of the current receivers on the roster as their first option in case Dez Bryant or Miles Austin is unavailable or hurt.

Kevin Ogletree has 25 catches for 294 yards and no touchdowns in his first three seasons. Andre Holmes, Dwayne Harris, Raymond Radway, Tim Benford and Cole Beasley have combined for zero NFL receptions.

Burress isn't the answer -- and it's not just because he caught only 45 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns for the New York Jets last season after missing the previous two seasons. Or because he served 22 months in prison on a gun charge, the result of accidentally shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan night club.

At his age, Burress isn't a difference-maker anymore. We're talking about a guy who had just two 1,000-yard seasons in the past seven years.

Sure, he's more proven than every receiver currently on the roster except Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. And he might help the Cowboys win a game.

But that's not the point.

He's not part of the long-term solution. Any player the Cowboys add in free agency or acquire via trade must have upside.

Talk to the folks in the Cowboys' scouting department and they'll tell you about the importance of adding youth because the NFL is a young man's game. When the season gets long and the games become more important, young legs gain more importance.

Signing Burress is the type of splashy move Jerry Jones would've made before Garrett became the head coach. It would generate some headlines and help the marketing department but not add to the foundation.

Garrett and the Cowboys are looking for the next Laurent Robinson, not a fading former star.

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