Cole Beasley spent his first seven seasons in the NFL playing for the Dallas Cowboys. In 2019, with offers on the table from the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots, as well as another offer from the Cowboys, he chose Buffalo.
Why?
Money is always a driving factor. After all, Bills general manager Brandon Beane offered him a four-year, $29 million contract, which was higher than what Dallas and New England offered.
Why’d Cole Beasley leave Dallas for the Buffalo Bills?
The driving factor, however, Beasley explained, was opportunity. Something not given in the regime at the time led by former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.
The opportunity Beasley referred to was the chance to play in an offense led by a young quarterback with elite traits in Josh Allen. When he signed, Buffalo’s receiver room was depleted of talent, consisting of John Brown, Isaiah McKenzie, Robert Foster, Zay Jones, and Duke Williams. Now, the only familiar face is McKenzie. However, the WR room now has a superstar in Stefon Diggs (whom Buffalo traded for in the spring of 2020), veteran Emmanuel Sanders, and up-and-comer Gabriel Davis.
The Bills’ camp battle at wide receiver is hard to ignore. At 31 years old, Beasley is still expected to be the feature slot receiver in Brian Daboll’s offense, and with another year of the offense under Allen’s belt, the entire unit should be a well-oiled machine. But it’d be hard to ignore there’s a strong probability for less opportunity for Beasley in 2021.
Beasley had a career year in his second season in Buffalo
It only took two years for Beasley to get acclimated in Buffalo’s offense. Frankly, things got off to a fast start in his first year — at 30 years old entering the 2019 season, Beasley nearly had his best season as a pro. In 15 games played, he recorded 67 receptions for 778 yards, both of which were only lower than the 2016 season in Dallas. However, his 6 touchdowns were both a career and team high, tied with John Brown.
The entire dynamic of Buffalo’s offense changed in Beasley’s second year. Not only did Allen drastically improve over the course of his second and third seasons, but the opportunities Diggs brought to the offense only helped Beasley. On just 1 more target, he caught 15 more passes for almost 200 more yards, finishing with 82 receptions, 967 yards, and 4 touchdowns, all but the latter being a career high. When things were all said and done, Beasley commanded a 20.1% target share in Daboll’s offense.
It’s safe to say without Beasley last year, Buffalo’s offense wouldn’t have been complete. Even with the addition of Diggs, Beasley saw more opportunities, albeit just a single target.
Can he find the same success in 2021?
Earlier this summer, there were talks that Beasley could retire due to events off the field. That looks less likely now heading into Buffalo’s Week 1 preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
The question surrounding Beasley is no longer if he’ll be in Buffalo, but how much opportunity will he have? While Diggs is the star of the show, Davis may continue playing the deep-threat role. That role shouldn’t change much from his rookie season. As a result, that should only leave the door open for Beasley to continue doing what he does best — get open, catch the ball, and move the chains.
Buffalo’s success offensively will rely on Allen, Diggs, Beasley, and the passing game. As long as the core group stays healthy, the opportunity Beasley was looking for when he left Dallas will be there.
