Getty Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley makes a dive for the endzone.
The Dallas Cowboys have rebounded from a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but are now seeing a former receiver join the NFC South team’s ranks.
Dallas is now 1-1 after a last-second win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but took a 19-3 beating in Week 1. It could’ve possibly been worse, but Tampa Bay’s passing offense somewhat struggled as quarterback Tom Brady couldn’t link up with his receivers.
However, the Buccaneers have now added an important new weapon to their mix: Cole Beasley. Beasley is well-known amongst Cowboys and Buffalo Bills fans thanks to his ten seasons in the league, but he now has a new team in Tampa, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
“News from @gmfb: The #Buccaneers are signing veteran WR Cole Beasley to their practice squad with the expectation he’ll be elevated to the active roster soon, source says,” Garafolo Tweeted on September 20. “Tom Brady pushed to bring in another veteran pass catcher and has had Beasley on his radar for a while.”
It’s a major addition for a team that already boasts multiple high-talent receivers. Beasley’s knack for getting open and making catches under pressure feels like a match made for Brady.
Beasley Enters Buccaneers’ Depleted WR Group
The combination of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones is a scary one for opposing NFL defenses. The problem for Tampa Bay is that none of those three pass-catchers may play in Week 3.
As NFL.com explains, Godwin has been battling a hamstring injury, Jones missed Week 2 with a knee problem, and Evans was suspended for one game after attacking New Orleans Saints corner Marshon Lattimore on Sunday.
It all points to adding reinforcements to the wide receiver group, and Beasley appears to be the answer. The 33-year-old is coming off the best seasons of his career with Buffalo, which included 967 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2020.
Pro Football Reference shows that Beasley is wildly consistent though, playing 14 games or more in every season since 2012. His lowest receiving numbers (since his rookie season) came with Dallas in 2017, when he totaled 314 receiving yards but still hauled in four touchdowns.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Cowboys QB Tony Romo made good use of Beasley, now the NFL will see how Brady utilizes the veteran wide receiver.
Former Cowboys Star Fired Back at Critics Recently
A few weeks back, Beasley took to Twitter to fire back at NFL fans who believed he was out of the league and unable to find a way back in. As Heavy previously covered, the former Cowboys wide receiver was not happy.
Beasley referenced his recent performance for the Bills in 2021 as his primary comeback.
“All these ‘unemployed’ jokes like I don’t have the skill anymore,” Beasley posted on August 28. “You don’t go from drawing double teams in the playoffs to not having it anymore within a few months. I still grabbed 80 catches with 3 broken ribs for half of them. No games missed. Don’t get it twisted.”
With the Buccaneers now signing Beasley, it’s clear he wasn’t joking, he was just waiting for the right situation to arise.