Getty A veteran WR is tipped "to make it difficult" for the New York Giants to leave him off their final roster.
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley could be on his way to earning a roster spot with the New York Giants — and pushing out a former teammate to do it.
Fox Sports writer Ralph Vacchiano predicted that Beasley would be among the seven wide receivers to make the 53-man roster in New York while another former Bills slot receiver — Jamison Crowder — would fall short of the cut line.
Beasley came out of retirement to join the Bills last December, and again considered retirement this offseason before signing with the Giants and former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll just before the start of training camp. He has looked strong through training camp and the team’s first preseason game, and Vacchiano believes could be on his way to playing a meaningful role in the Giants’ offense this year.
Cole Beasley Adding Depth in New York
Vacchiano noted that the Giants have a deep wide receiving corps, despite being “light on top-end talent.” The team’s top five spots in the rotation are set, with Beasley leading the pack for one of the remaining roster spots, he wrote.
“The next spot is wide open. It appears to be a battle of the old slot receivers between Beasley and Jamison Crowder, and the safe bet is on Beasley, who played for Daboll in Buffalo,” he wrote.
Cole Beasley breakout season 🔜
Beasley left the Bills in the 2022 offseason, being released in March after initially requesting a trade. He played briefly for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early last season before retiring, though the Bills coaxed him out of retirement in December after facing a spate of injuries.
Beasley made two catches for 18 yards during the season and took on an even bigger role in the playoffs, making five catches for 68 yards with his first-career playoff touchdown.
Crowder had a difficult season in Buffalo, appearing in four games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He made six catches for 60 total yards.
Cole Beasley Considered Retirement Before Returning
The Bills chose not to re-sign Beasley after the conclusion of last season, and the veteran receiver said he would only consider returning for another NFL season if he were to sign with a team before the start of training camp.
“If I’m not in a Training Camp I’m retiring,” he wrote on to Twitter in April. “Coming in when the season has already started doesn’t give me a chance to be implemented and make an impact. I need camp to develop chemistry with everyone and build confidence. If they won’t give me that then they don’t want me there.”
Beasley appeared to close the door on a return to the Bills, saying in an interview with Outkick published on July 12 that he grew disenchanted with the organization and believe that things changed after he declined to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It was different in the organization, it was different in the facility and it was different with the fans as well,” Beasley said. “I went from, like my first year there, I loved Buffalo and I found my love for football again there. And I appreciated that. But once Covid hit, all that kind of changed.”
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Ex-Bills WR Expected to Beat Out Former Teammate for NYG Roster Spot