Although the Dallas Cowboys have the potential to improve their roster following the 2022 NFL Draft, it will require smart decisions in free agency.
Cowboys are still looking for high-level talent, and has recently looked into free agent linebacker Anthony Barr to see if there are any free agency options. Bleacher Report analyst Kristopher Knox has urged the Cowboys not to sign another receiver.
Knox discussed three areas of need in his article. Knox believes that Cowboys can improve their group by getting back to a “old flame”, which is Buffalo Bills free agent Cole Beasley.
Knox wrote, “With [Amari] Cooper out and [Cedrick] Wilson absent, Dallas could use depth as a receiver.” “They did draft Jalen Tolbert and James Washington in free agency, but Beasley is an experienced vet who worked previously with Dak Prescott in Dallas.”
Cowboys fans don’t need to know much about Beasley. He played in Dallas between 2012 and 2018. He has been a reliable, shifty receiver with the Bills. But he could end his career in the blue, silver, and white.
Beasley is as Texas-y as it gets. Beasley was born in Houston and attended Little Elm high school before transferring to SMU for college. He then joined Dallas in 2012 as an undrafted agent.
His Cowboys career was successful. Beasley’s rookie season was short with just 15 receptions. He never saw a Dallas season that had less than 35 receptions, or 300 yards according Pro Football Reference. Spotrac claims that he earned over $15 million playing for Dallas.
He accumulated 3271 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns during that span. In 2019, Beasley and Dallas parted ways, and he moved to the Bills. After being credited 22 times as a starter in the seven Dallas seasons, Beasley, now 33, played a prominent role in Buffalo. He started 28 games.
His career-high 967 receiving yards in 2020 was his best. He also had six touchdowns in 2019, which was his personal record. Beasley caught 82 passes in 2021. Buffalo decided to part ways with him this offseason. The receiver is still searching for a new home.
The issue with free agency is always money. Dallas has only $13.4 million of space per Spotrac and this is before the team signs its draft picks to contracts. Beasley earned $5.6 million and $5.8million over the past two seasons. This is a significant chunk of that amount.
Knox also points out that Beasley is unlikely to be a long-term acquisition. He is now 33 but the Cowboys still have to convince Beasley for a short-term deal.
“The challenge here would be convincing Beasley to take a one-year deal, as he’d largely be an insurance policy and a placeholder while [Jalen] Tolbert develops… Dallas’ playoff window is still open, and the Cowboys need to take advantage. Ensuring they have enough reliable targets to continue rolling on offense—they ranked first in both yards and scoring last season—should be part of the equation.”
It’s possible to add another reliable receiver to the offense. It’s only a matter of whether Beasley is the right person for the job.