Cowboy Receiver Wright Apparently Headed for Raiders

The Raiders have obtained wide receiver Alexander Wright from Dallas, according to Cowboy owner Jerry Jones.

Jones told the Dallas Morning News that his club will announce today that the Cowboys have sent Wright, a 6-foot, 190-pounder out of Auburn, to the Raiders for an early to middle-round draft choice in 1993.

“There is no deal to announce as of now,” Raider executive assistant Al LoCasale said Monday night. “I won’t say we are not talking.”

The Raiders have been seeking another wide receiver since Sam Graddy suffered a broken arm two weeks ago.

When the deal is announced this morning, it will come only hours before the league’s 1 p.m. PDT trading deadline.

The draft pick to be surrendered will be determined by Wright’s playing time, which could be considerable if there is an injury to either of the starting wide receivers, Willie Gault and Tim Brown.

When the season began, Gault and Mervyn Fernandez were the starters with Brown in his customary spot as the No. 3 receiver.

But after catching two passes for 36 yards during the season opener, Fernandez was bumped out of his starting spot in the second game because of an ankle injury.

Since then, Fernandez has caught a total of four passes for 50 yards.

So when Graddy was injured during the Monday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the search began.

One league general manager told the New York Daily News that Raider owner Al Davis believed, on two occasions last week, that he had a deal with the New York Jets, defensive lineman Greg Townsend heading east in exchange for receiver Al Toon.

But the Jets reportedly wanted more for Toon, an eight-year veteran.

Wright, a second-round draft choice in 1990, won the league’s Fastest Man competition in Palm Springs in June, covering 60 yards in 6.14 seconds.

“We had a logjam at receiver,” Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson said.

“It’s one of our more talented positions, so we felt a move had to be made.”

If the Raiders give up only a draft choice, it will be a lot cheaper than giving up Townsend.

The Raider defensive lineman didn’t endear himself to Davis when he held out this summer, despite the fact that he had recently signed a new contract.

When Townsend finally reported on the final weekend before the season opener, that only lent new weight to the argument that the Raiders could do without him.

Twenty-five pounds of weight. That’s how much Townsend reportedly was over his playing weight of 265 pounds.

He sat out the opener and slowly worked his way into shape. He proved his value Sunday, playing a key role in the Raiders’ best defensive effort of the season.

Townsend has been invaluable because of several other unexpected holes in the team’s defensive line.

The Raiders didn’t expect defensive lineman Scott Davis to retire. Nor did they expect Chester McGlockton, the club’s No. 1 draft choice, to be sidelined on the first series of the first exhibition, because of a bruised foot.

McGlockton has yet to return to form. He has been more liability than asset, getting pushed from one side to the other by opposing lineman as he struggles to perform on one good leg.

But with Townsend in there Sunday, Coach Art Shell was able to rotate his linemen, providing constantly fresh bodies to attack Jim Kelly and Co.

Townsend, Howie Long, Anthony Smith, Bob Golic and Nolan Harrison all responded with excellent efforts.

That also allowed Shell to go with only two linebackers and five defensive backs when Kelly tried to bring his team back.