It took 11 months, but T.Y. Hilton is back in the NFL for a chance to pursue a title.
The veteran receiver is signing with the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported Monday. The team later announced the news.
Hilton visited the team on Monday and liked what he saw enough to join the Cowboys with just one month left in the regular season. At 10-3 and riding a four-game winning streak into Week 15, Dallas is gearing up for what it hopes will be a deep playoff run.
“Great addition,” said Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who added Hilton has a chance to play this Sunday versus the Jaguars. “We’ll get him out there Wednesday and get him acclimated. … He had a workout. Everything passed with flying colors. The timing is right. He’s ready to go.”
The 33-year-old receiver last played in 2021 with the Colts, the only team he’d known until signing with Dallas. After starting last season on injured reserve, Hilton returned in mid-October, catching 23 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games.
Hilton patiently waited for another opportunity as a free agent, remaining without a team until the final month of the 2022 regular season. He joins a Dallas team that has been interested in adding a receiver for most of 2022, exploring trade options before the deadline and recently engaging in a drawn-out courtship with Odell Beckham Jr.
With just four weeks left to get a new receiver up to speed, it appears the Cowboys have moved on from Beckham in favor of Hilton, a receiver who is ready to go now. He’ll enter a receivers room headlined by CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, with Noah Brown, Jalen Tolbert, James Washington and returner KaVontae Turpin also on the roster.
Hilton is past his peak performance, but brings with him plenty of winning experience from his time spent in Indianapolis. We’ll see if the four-time Pro Bowler can make a quick impact for the NFL’s 10th-ranked offense.