Getty Cole Beasley #11 of the Buffalo Bills in action against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 24, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
Cole Beasley gave the Buffalo Bills — and the rest of the league — something of an ultimatum after the NFL Draft.
The veteran wide receiver ended his retirement to rejoin the Bills for the final stretch of last season, but said in April that he would retire for good if he wasn’t on a roster by the time training camps started. Insider Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News shed some light on Beasley’s chances of returning to the team for another stint, noting that the Bills may have already found a slot replacement.
Cole Beasley’s Odds of Returning to Buffalo
In a mailbag column, Skurski responded to a fan asking whether Beasley or fellow returning receiver John Brown could be back on the roster again in 2023. The reporter said he was leaning toward no return for either player, noting that the Bills appeared to move past both veterans.
“Perhaps most telling is the team’s approach to free agency and the draft,” Skurski wrote. “[Tight end] Dalton Kincaid figures to work out of the slot a good deal as a rookie, which is where Beasley operates. Additionally, the team signed Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield, both of whom should make the 53-man roster. Second-year veteran Khalil Shakir is also going to get a chance to have an expanded role, so there simply might not be room for Brown and/or Beasley on the active roster.”
Cole Beasley sets deadline for retirement decision, adds he doesn’t think he’ll be back with #Bills:
Skurski did see a benefit to Beasley’s return last season, which gave the Bills a reliable receiver and afforded Beasley the opportunity to “rewrite his ending with the team.” Beasley had previously left under some controversy, asking for a trade last offseason and eventually being released.
But if Beasley does return to football again in 2023, it likely won’t be with the Bills, Skurski wrote.
“A spot on a practice squad, especially with little hope of making the active roster, does not seem like something he’d have much interest in,” Skurski noted. “In my opinion, it’s too close to the end of his playing career to know whether a coaching job is something that would interest him.”
Former Bills WR Sounded Off on Draft Pick
Beasley already shared some thoughts on Buffalo’s decision to move up the NFL draft board to snag Kincaid in the first round. After Bills reporter Sal Capaccio tweeted that Kincaid was “basically Cole Beasley in a tight end’s body,” Beasley pushed back at the suggestion and got into a spat with fans.
“Please don’t compare me to any tight end. Lol,” Beasley tweeted, telling another fan that “every WR gets offended if they’re compared to tight ends.”
Cole Beasley said earlier this week he’d walk onto the #Bills right now and be their best slot WR by far.
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Beasley had previously riled up fans when he said he believed that Aaron Rodgers was the league’s second-best quarterback behind only Patrick Mahomes. Some Bills fans said they saw Beasley’s assessment as “slander” toward Josh Allen.
After the Kincaid pick, Beasley revisited the controversy.
“I didn’t criticize the rookie. I just said don’t compare me to a tight end,” Beasley tweeted. “Dude could be great. We just aren’t similar. The end…Also saying Josh was the #3 qb in the league isn’t a shot at him. Also has the potential to be the best easily.”