Grading the signing: Dallas Cowboys get a well-known wide receiver, but he comes with warning signs everywhere

The Dallas Cowboys signed veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Though he’s a well-known name for NFL fans, tempering the expectations is the right move here.

Mauricio Rodriguez, Rob Gregson

Apr 27, 2026 4:57 PM EDT

Dec 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) catches a pass during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t add a first-round wide receiver last week like they were rumored to be considering. But they added multiple undrafted free agents to the room, and now, a well-known veteran.

The Cowboys are signing veteran WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Valdes-Scantling arrives with eight seasons of NFL experience under his belt. But there is no shortage of warning signs in his recent stops.

Valdes-Scantling is a well-known name but…

The Cowboys will be his sixth team since the start of the 2024 season if you include his 2025 training camp with the Seattle Seahawks before he missed final cuts even after signing a deal worth up to $5.5 million in free agency.

Most recently, he played five games for the Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers and caught 10 passes in 21 targets. Earlier in 2025, he logged four catches across five games for the San Francisco 49ers.

The truth is his Valdes-Scantling’s best football is well behind him. His best season came in 2020 when he led the NFL in yards per reception at 20.9 playing for Patrick Mahomes. He set a career high at 690 receiving yards and six touchdowns then.

What are realistic expectations for Valdes-Scantling?

For more insight on Valdes-Scantling’s play before signing with the Cowboys, I reached out to our own Rob Gregson from A to Z Sports Pittsburgh, who covered his stop with the Steelers.

“Marquez Valdes-Scantling joined the Steelers in 2025 after weeks of rumors surrounding a potential reunion between him and Rodgers, but there wasn’t a ton to write home about. After spending time on the practice squad, MVS played in five games, starting one in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns while DK Metcalf served a two-game suspension.

“In that game, the Steelers’ wide receivers combined for less than 60 receiving yards, showing little ability to separate at a marginal level. There were times when you could see MVS’s explosion on film, and he can still get vertical, but the deep threat that defenses have to worry about is no longer there.

“Sure, he can lift the top off of coverage, but between his inconsistent hands and shallow route tree, he’s best utilized on specific concepts and on weighty downs. He will provide a veteran presence if he makes the team, and there is a track record of quarterbacks having a lot of success when MVS is in their WR corps.”