FRISCO, Texas – In need of depth and experience at receiver, the Cowboys have added both in former Steelers wide receiver James Washington.
The four-year veteran and native Texan has agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with the Cowboys.
Washington was a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2018, but he never had a major impact in Pittsburgh's offense. His best season was 2019 when he caught 44 passes for 735 yards and three touchdowns. Since then, Washington's numbers declined as he found himself behind Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Washington caught 30 passes in 2020 and 24 this past season for 285 yards and two touchdowns.
The plus-side for Washington is that he still has 11 career touchdowns despite limited snaps and he averaged 14.3 yards per catch in his career, proof that he has big-play potential.
A native of Stamford, Texas, Washington played in three straight state title games at AT&T Stadium, winning two (2012 & 2013) championships. He then starred at Oklahoma State, where he won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver.
With Amari Cooper being traded this week to Cleveland, Washington joins a Cowboys receiver group that features CeeDee Lamb as the No. 1 receiver, followed by Michael Gallup, whose availability for the start of the season is questioned as he rehabs an ACL injury. The Cowboys also re-signed Noah Brown and Simi Fehoko returns after his rookie season.
