The Dallas Cowboys are trying to do everything they can to revamp their receiving group. With an offseason filled with additions and subtractions, the team is certainly taking a different approach in how they go about putting together their roster. While we all debated about which five guys would make the cut, the team ultimately ended up rolling with six wide receivers:
- Cole Beasley
- Terrance Williams
- Allen Hurns
- Michael Gallup
- Tavon Austin
- Deonte Thompson
And let’s not forget that they still have second-year receiver Noah Brown on injured reserve.
Now, the Cowboys are adding a seventh wide receiver to the team as Brice Butler is re-joining the band. But the addition of Butler doesn’t exactly have fans jumping out of their seat. In his five years in the league, he’s caught 73 passes for 1,177 yards with eight touchdowns. He averaged just over a catch a game with the Cowboys so it’s not like he’s going to be a big difference-maker.
Butler gives the team another deep option, which let’s face it - the Cowboys desperately need so they are able to attack down the field. In two of his three seasons with Dallas, he’s averaged over 21 yards per catch, which indicates what type of role he can have on this team.
So, is seven the lucky number when it comes to success for the Cowboys passing attack? Well, when it comes to yards per attempt for Dak Prescott, seven is definitely the magic number. The Cowboys have never lost a regular season game when Dak averages over seven yards per attempt. They are a perfect 18-0. This speaks to the importance of being able to throw the ball down the field.
That’s where Butler’s services will come in handy. He has a good rapport with Prescott already and can step in and help stretch the field. He has the speed to get down the field and the length to go up and get if Dak gives it the old heave-ho. It’s a formula that has worked in the past.
Your newest Cardinals WR, coming in at 6'3" 220 lbs ➡️ @Brice_Butler #BirdGang #RiseUpRedSea #Cardinals pic.twitter.com/ERi8eiLjN1
— #RiseUpRedSea (0-2) (@AZCardinalsHQ) April 3, 2018
But the signing of Butler isn’t necessarily the answer to the Cowboys passing attack as the team is still trying to sort that out. While seven may be lucky in some ways, eight might be the real lucky number. As in...eight different players catching the ball for Dak.
The Cowboys have a good sample of winning with Prescott under center when he’s been able to spread the ball around to at least eight different players. Last year, he wasn’t able to do that as he was targeting Dez Bryant too much. And so far this season, he’s fell just short as well.
In each of the first two games, he’s only hit seven. You’d think with six receivers being active and Ezekiel Elliott good for at least one catch, it wouldn’t be too hard to reach eight different guys. In Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, Geoff Swaim caught a pass, but Tavon Austin was the odd-man out for the receivers as he never caught a pass. On Sunday against the New York Giants, the Cowboys made sure to get Austin involved and all six receivers caught a pass. Only this time, not a single tight end had a reception.
That’s not to say the Cowboys are going to keep all seven receivers active (they might though) and that everyone’s getting a little love from Dak. But what it’s saying is the coaching staff recognizes this unit as a work in progress and they are being diligent in trying to get better. That didn’t mean they were going to panic and make a move for Josh Gordon, but they’re always churning.
It’s not always easy to have faith in this organization when it comes to roster moves as they’ve made some really questionable decisions recently, but let’s not forget the track record this front office has. Many of us got scared when they remodeled the secondary and that group keeps getting better with each new day. Byron Jones and Chidobe Awuzie are flat-out outstanding and nobody seems to worried about Jeff Heath and Kavon Frazier holding down the fort at safety. In fact all the head scratching, Jaylon-drafting, Taco-picking decisions the team has made in recent years is starting to look pretty darn good. I’d say they’ve earned the right to be given the benefit of the doubt with what they’re doing with their receivers. Let’s see where this goes.