T.Y. Hilton brings two big things to the Cowboys offense
On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver T.Y. Hilton to a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2022 season. The move came after hosting Odell Beckham Jr. on a visit filled with flirting but that ultimately didn't lead to anything as health concerns made the Cowboys question his availability for the playoffs. Although […]
On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver T.Y. Hilton to a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2022 season. The move came after hosting Odell Beckham Jr. on a visit filled with flirting but that ultimately didn't lead to anything as health concerns made the Cowboys question his availability for the playoffs.
Although the Cowboys would much rather have a healthy version of OBJ, the truth is that might not exist right now. Now, they find a way to add talent to the position regardless.
Even at 33 years old, there's a lot that T.Y. Hilton brings to the table that could help out the Cowboys' offense moving forward. Specifically, there are two things that stick out.
1. Cowboys get a true zone beater.
Hilton gets open consistently versus zone coverage. He might not be the same athlete he was over the first seven seasons of his NFL career when he averaged 1,156 receiving yards per year. But more than anything, his ability to beat zone coverages comes from a football IQ aspect to his game.
The four-time Pro Bowler has a knack for finding the soft spot and getting open in a QB-friendly way. This will be particularly useful for the Cowboys' offense as Dak Prescott has been successfully targeting the middle of the field this season.
A decade of playing football in the NFL is the kind of experience the Cowboys could use on offense.
2. Speed.
"He can definitely still run," Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore told reporters on Monday.
He's right. Even though he's 33 years old and isn't the same player he was when he was catching Andrew Luck's passes, the tape shows a receiver who can stretch the field vertically.
The Cowboys have been missing that legitimate deep threat that demands the respect of opposing secondaries. Noah Brown has exceeded expectations but lacks that kind of speed in his game. And while KaVontae Turpin is FAST, he lacks the tools to be a productive wideout at this time.
Hilton's speed won't be useful on deep shots only, of course. The Cowboys love to run those underneath routes and creating yards-after-catch opportunities for T.Y. will also be something to monitor.
Overall, the Cowboys are getting a version of T.Y. Hilton well past his prime but the thing is they don't need prime T.Y. Hilton. All they need is for Hilton to bring these two things to the table to be a great addition as he competes for the WR3 role, which currently belongs to Brown.
For more on this and the Cowboys, check out Monday's episode of my show A to Z Sports Dallas Primetimebelow!
Featured image via Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
