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- Mar 16, 2019
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For seven seasons, Cole Beasley was beloved in Dallas. He grew up in a suburb north of Dallas, played at SMU and became a big part of the Cowboys offense despite being only 5 foot 8 and going undrafted.
Now, though, he is the enemy.
Unafraid to speak his mind on social media or in interviews, Beasley has rubbed Cowboys Nation the wrong way since he signed a four-year, $29 million deal with the Bills. Dallas offered Beasley a contract but didn’t value the position as much as the Bills did, with the Cowboys instead signing free agent Randall Cobb to a one-year, $5 million deal.
The Cowboys “didn’t value the slot position like they do here,” Beasley said, via Tim Graham of TheAthletic.com. “That’s a big reason why I left. I want to be utilized to my strengths and have more opportunities to play football.
“I felt like it was easy for me to be taken away. Really, in that offense, all you had to do was bracket me because I went beyond 5 yards rarely. And when I did, it was from the same formation; I was in the same spot all the time.”
The Cowboys changed offensive coordinators, firing Scott Linehan and hiring Kellen Moore. Beasley, though, suggested on Twitter in January it didn’t matter who the Cowboys offensive coordinator was, saying the team’s front office directs where the ball goes.
Beasley ranked third in targets (450), receptions (319) and touchdowns (23) during his seven seasons, trailing only Jason Witten and Dez Bryant. (Yes, that includes the 2018 season when neither Witten nor Bryant played for the Cowboys.)
“In this offense, we move around,” Beasley said of the Bills. “We’re everywhere. It’s going to be harder to key on one guy here. It’s a lot better than where I was before.
“I’ll get to run routes from spots I’ve never gotten to run routes from. It’s going to be sweet. I’m excited about it.”
Beasley, 30, is rehabbing from core muscle surgery, keeping him off the practice field this offseason. But he obviously expects to be more productive in Buffalo than he was in Dallas.
He also expects to be happier.
“I’m just glad to be here,” Beasley said, “where it’s 100 percent about ball and not a show or a brand. It’s purer here.”