The Dallas Cowboys have been linked with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, but one thing is holding them back from the trade.
Last season, the Dallas Cowboys knew they needed some extra help at their wide receiver. Although CeeDee Lamb tried his best, the Cowboys were missing Amari Cooper, whom they traded prior to last season.
While the free agency market isn’t the best, there is a big name that could be available on the Arizona Cardinals wide trading block in DeAndre Hopkins. So, what hinders trade?
Appearing on “NFL Now” last week, NFL Network’s Jane Slater revealed that Hopkins “definitely wants to come to Dallas.” But the one thing holding things back is — the Cowboys haven’t called the Cardinals, and they’re waiting
“I communicated repeatedly with all of my sources within the Cowboys organization, and they have never had any contact with the Cardinals as it relates to D-Hop,” Slater said. “I think that’s another situation where they want to find themselves getting close to the draft, or even after that, to see where they are, to see where things are rocking, to see if the asking price of the Cardinals is down before they move in there. But at least D-Hop’s willing. They’re going to be one of those teams he might be interested in coming to and even playing for a little bit more than the market dictates.”
The Cowboys are not knocking on the door to try to trade for DeAndre Hopkins
While the Cowboys haven’t yet made an addition to their wide receiver corps, they can wait until the NFL Draft, Slater is attending. Slated for the 26th overall in the first round, they could be in the running for one of the best wide receivers in the class. However, the rival New York Giants’ 25th draft pick also has a need at wide receiver, despite the moves they’ve made so far in the offseason.
In his first season with the Cardinals in 2020, Hopkins recorded 115 receptions for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns on 160 targets over 16 games.
But in the past two seasons, he missed a few matches. In 2021, he missed three games due to a hamstring strain and three additional games due to a torn MCL. In 2022, Hopkins was suspended for the first six games of the season after violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He then missed the last two games of the 2022 campaign with a knee strain.
Through nine games last season, Hopkins caught 64 of 96 targets for 717 yards and three touchdowns.
Cowboys fans wondering if the team will ever run a Hopkins run may have to wait a little while for an answer. But, based on what Slater said, Hopkins “wants” to be a cowboy.
