T.Y. Hilton has made his way to the Cowboys, stunning those who didn't see the move coming, and Mike McCarthy says the four-time Pro Bowler is ready to play right now
FRISCO, TX — T.Y. Hilton is heading to the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year deal, an agreement struck following an under-the-radar negotiation that saw the four-time Pro Bowl receiver and Indianapolis Colts legend put pen to paper on Monday afternoon.
This news lands as the team continues interest in Odell Beckham, Jr. but, unlike Beckham, Hilton is ready to take the field immediately.
"It's a great addition," said head coach Mike McCarthy following the signing. "Obviously, he's been working all year, so he's in great, great shape medically. He had the workout so I'm looking forward to it — he's actually meeting with [receivers coach] Robert Prince right now. The biggest thing for him will be [playbook] language, which always is when you get new opportunities.
"We'll get him out there on Wednesday and get him activated."
Hilton joins the Cowboys as they sit at 10-3 in a chase to take down the Philadelphia Eagles atop both the division and the conference, instantly becoming another weapon for quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.He can and will also impart a lot of his NFL wisdom on the young receiving corps, much like Jason Peters is helping to do for the youth across the offensive line, which itself is priceless.
The 33-year-old has dealt with his fair share of injury over the past several seasons, but he's been healthy more often than not, as of late. Hilton delivered 15 starts for the Indianapolis Colts in 2020 before starting the 2021 season on injured reserve, but ultimately logged nine starts last season — the tread on his tires taking him to 1,093 receiving yards and eight touchdowns over that two-year span.
It's true the Colts legend and former NFL leader in receiving yards (2016) isn't still what he was when he racked up a robust 8.097 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns in his first seven NFL seasons, but he's also not tasked with being WR1 or WR2 in Dallas.
The fact he'll play rotationally as a way of schematically alternating between being asked to produce and being tasked with being a decoy for CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and the four-headed monster at tight end means it's no longer about quantity of reps for Hilton.
It's about quality, and it's difficult to fathom a healthy Hilton struggling to provide that in Dallas.
"He passed everything with flying colors," said McCarthy. "... The timing is right and he's ready to go."
