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The Dallas Cowboys signed veteran TY Hilton on Monday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ian Rapoport @RapSheet
The #Cowboys still get help from veterans of WR and have been signing for a long time #Colts star TY Hilton, his agents @KatzBrosSports tell me and @SlaterNFL. He is visiting the team today and should help on the journey and in the play-offs. 👻 👻 👻 pic.twitter.com/v3A4qQREVJ
With the Cowboys in the hunt for veteran free agent Odell Beckham Jr., Hilton’s signing naturally came as a bit of a surprise. So what does it all mean?
The cowboys signing Beckham now feel less likely
Dallas adding an experienced wide receiver will lead to natural speculation that the team will move on from Beckham:
It’s hard to ignore the timing of Hilton’s signing, as he’s a player the Cowboys could have easily added earlier in the season.
On Sunday, report wrote that last week Beckham visited the Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and New York Giants and “all parties are currently in a set pattern as Beckham weighs his options at home. The teams involved will move forward with what they currently have, knowing that if Beckham came on board, he wouldn’t help out on the field for at least another month.”
Hilton fills a need for depth at wideout in Dallas. But…
His signing does not immediately end the Beckham pursuit
At least according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson:
Joshua Anderson @Joshua Anderson
League source about if the #Cowboys signing TY Hilton sure means they’ve stopped talks with Odell Beckham Jr: “not clearly moved on from Odell.”
When asked his thoughts on why Dallas continued with Hilton – given the answer above – he was told that Hilton can play “now”.
Joshua Anderson @Joshua Anderson
The moment I was told, feel #Cowboys unsure of how long the tail end of Odell Beckham Jr.’s current rehab will last specifically, so TY Hilton’s move today. Was also just told – as of this tweet – Jerry Jones & Odell Beckham’s camp is ‘still talking’. The talks are “ongoing”.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also said on Sunday that the team was not withdrawing from the Beckham sweepstakes.
“Not at all”, he told reporters. “Put a big exclamation on that. That’s all I have on that.”
Beckham is 30; Hilton is 33. Beckham made a tangible and positive impact for the Los Angeles Rams last year in the postseason (21 catches for 288 yards and two scores); Hilton looked well past his prime last season (23 catches for 331 yards and three scores in 10 games for the Indianapolis Colts).
The point is simply that Beckham is much better than Hilton at this point in their respective careers. Hilton offers the Cowboys some help now, but Beckham would still be the better addition.
The Beckham Saga isn’t going away any time soon
Beckham’s future has been one of the bigger stories off the pitch in recent weeks, and Hilton’s signing added another layer of intrigue to the situation.
Had the Cowboys signed Beckham on Monday instead, well, poof. Story over. But if the Cowboys were the presumed favorites before Hilton’s signing, the door now appears to be wide open for other teams.
Maybe Beckham will eventually become a cowboy. But for now, this story – and all the reports and buzz that naturally follow – has not yet come to an end.
