Dallas Cowboys: Next #2 Wide Receiver in the making?
When Dez Bryant is on the field, even if it is at less than 100 percent, everyone on the planet knows that he’s the obvious superstar on that wide receiver depth chart for the Dallas Cowboys. What we’re talking about today is that number two spot that might seem a bit sketchier than most people think, being that Terrance Williams didn’t exactly solidify that spot in 2015.
Granted, Tony Romo was out most of the season, but for a guy who was held to a high standard last year without their obvious superstar on the field to step up and fill a void, his flaws showed more consistently. The route-running repertoire that should be there for a guy who lines up opposite a great player like Dez Bryant just wasn’t there in 2015. Even though he has made some solid catches before, he just seemed to disappoint when it really mattered or when he was really needed.
Fast-forward another season and everyone on that wide receiver depth chart is healthy and raring to go for the 2016 NFL Campaign. Since joining the team through a trade with the Oakland Raiders, Brice Butler has shown outstanding measurables and an ability to get vertical separation very quickly. His body control down the field, along with his route consistency, have always been something most people have been able to see since coming into the league, but he just never fully got situated in Oakland. Butler’s talent obviously brought him to Dallas for a reason and even though a hamstring injury in 2015 gave him a small setback in getting acclimated with the Cowboys offense, he has shown the ability to play with a physical toughness that is needed for a number two.
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Nothing can be taken away from Williams for being that number two guy on the Cowboys wide receiver depth chart because he has earned that right after the couple of years he’s been on the team, but you also cannot turn a blind eye to what Brice Butler can bring to a position that is just as important to the offense as the guy opposite the #1 receiver. That position will, more often than not, garnish double-team defensive schemes in most games.
Butler will have a solid year of off-season work, plus a whole year of Training Camp to show what he’s got to offer in 2016 to the Dallas Cowboys before being an unrestricted free agent for the 2017 season. So we could be seeing a lot more of that down-field route-running ability.
A solid number two receiver for any football team must have a consistent ability to take that next step in his receiver development, and Williams just hasn’t been able to address that situation as positive as the Cowboys have hoped. With Romo healthy behind center, this might be a great year to see who will be the guy opposite Bryant for the next couple years.
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