Wide receiver Cole Beasley unretires, reunites with Buffalo Bills
In a clear acknowledgment that they needed to upgrade at wide receiver, the Buffalo Bills signed Cole Beasley to their practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday.
Beasley played for the Bills from 2019-21 and was one of Josh Allen’s favorite passing game targets as he caught 231 passes for 2,438 yards and 11 touchdowns after he was signed as a free agent in 2019.
He spent his first seven years in the NFL with the Cowboys where he caught 319 passes for 3,271 yards and 23 TDs.
Last season, Beasley started to show signs of slowing down, yet he still caught 82 passes which matched his career high set in 2020, also with the Bills.
However, the Bills released him in March at the start of free agency, largely in a salary cap move with the $6.1 million in savings put toward the signing of free agent edge rusher Von Miller.
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Beasley had requested permission to seek a trade shortly before he was released and the Bills granted it. But it was always going to be tough to make happen. With his contract, and the fact that the teams probably knew the Bills would be cutting Beasley anyway, no one was willing to give up an asset.
“Cole can still play and he’ll continue to play in this league,” general manager Brandon Beane said at the time.
The Bills felt confident moving on from Beasley because they believed Isaiah McKenzie could take over as the primary slot receiver, but McKenzie has not come close to matching Beasley’s production. He has only 38 receptions for 380 yards and four TDs and had two dropped passes on Sunday in the Bills’ 20-12 victory over the the Jets.
The Bills also signed veteran Jamison Crowder in free agency to compete with McKenzie for the slot position, and they drafted Khalil Shakir in the fifth round. McKenzie and Crowder were essentially sharing time until Crowder suffered a serious ankle injury in the Week 4 victory at Baltimore and has been on injured reserve ever since.
Shakir has been given a few chances in the slot, but he’s not ready to be a full-time contributor. By signing Beasley, this may also be an indication that the Bills don’t think Crowder will be able to return and be productive.
After he was released, Beasley decided to retire when he couldn’t drum up much interest, but the 33-year-old changed his mind when the Buccaneers showed interest and ultimately signed him to their practice squad in September. He played in two games and caught four passes from Tom Brady for 17 yards before Tampa Bay released him.
The Bills also dipped into their past two weeks ago when they signed wide receiver John Brown to their practice squad, a player they had released after the 2020 season. Brown has been elevated to the game day roster in each of the last two games but has not caught a pass. Brown can be elevated just once more before they would have to sign him to the 53-man roster.
Beasley may receive the same type of treatment. They could make him a practice squad elevation three times and then make a decision, based on how he looks, on whether they want to sign him so that he could play in the postseason.
The need for Beasley far exceeds the need for Brown. Buffalo has Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis to play outside receiver. The slot position is where they need help and there’s no doubt that Allen had a great connection with Beasley. He was a player who always seemed to find an opening in the defense and give Allen a reliable target.
In his last seven games, Allen has averaged only 224 yards passing after averaging 330 in the first six games of the season.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Wide receiver Cole Beasley back with the Buffalo Bills
