Cowboys: Enough About Replacing Terrance Williams
The Dallas Cowboys, facing numerous holes to fill in the 2016 NFL Draft, should understand that wide receiver is not an early need at all.
If there’s one position I’m sick and tired of hearing about, concerning Dallas Cowboys draft needs, it’s wide receiver.
It’s become quite fashionable among parrot-like Cowboys fans to engage in the argument that Dallas needs to draft a wide receiver prospect like Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss or bring in an expensive and declining veteran like Roddy White or Anquan Boldin.
Beyond the fact that this discussion completely ignores the fact that the Cowboys already have numerous receivers on the roster, I think that what gets me the most is the fact that Terrance Williams seems to be the target of dislike in each instance.
I don’t think I need to remind this portion of the fan base that quarterback Tony Romo missed virtually the entire season with two broken clavicles last season. For Williams to take the lion’s share of the blame for Dallas’ lack of passing success is beyond 50 shades of completely ignorant.
Further, this theory also tends to overlook the talent that Williams has, his previous accomplishments apparently ignored because a few people heard on television that Dallas’ No.2 receiver couldn’t flourish without top receiving target Dez Bryant, who also missed much of the season due to a broken foot.
I seem to recall a couple of huge plays from Williams during the Cowboys’ playoff win over the Detroit Lions a couple of seasons ago. He scored two touchdowns, the final score being the clincher in Dallas’ second playoff win since the year after the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX. Williams also had a touchdown the following week against the Green Bay Packers in the divisional playoff loss at Lambeau Field.
As a matter of fact, during a season in which the Dallas offense struggled mightily with backup quarterbacks like Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel, Williams still managed to post a career-highs in receptions and yardage with 52 catches for a total of 840 yards. This means that the fourth-year veteran from Baylor was only 160 yards from a 1,000-yard season – his average per reception last season was less than two feet from the averages he posted during his first two seasons.
Beyond Williams, slot receiver Cole Beasley had a solid year while posting career-highs in receptions, yards and yards per reception. Tight end Jason Witten also had a good season, even if he didn’t set career-highs in any particular category.
The reality is that Williams is not targeted very often in the Dallas offense. The Cowboys passing attack is funneled through Bryant, with Witten and Beasley getting the bulk of Romo’s attempts that remain. In a given game Williams could have as many catches as necessary, but he’s generally a fourth option that doesn’t require many touches in order to put the Cowboys offense over the top. He’s a big play receiver, and that’s what he is.
It’s quite clear that the Cowboys lost 12 games last season because backup quarterbacks couldn’t finish drives. The running game suffered tremendously as opponents had little reason to fear a passing game that just wasn’t as good without Romo and Bryant for so long. A kid playing Madden on a console would have played the same game against the Cowboys in a video game setting.
The Cowboys couldn’t pound the football out of the backfield like they did with a healthy Romo and DeMarco Murray in 2014. This means fewer touchdowns, which translates to fewer points and ends up meaning you don’t win games. In other words, no running game generally equates to lousy red zone offense, which is what the Cowboys certainly had.
Had Romo been healthy and only Bryant was gone, perhaps then we could better analyze Williams’ performance as a focal point as an outside target. When Romo did play his only game without Bryant last year, Week 2 against the Eagles in Philadelphia, he managed to hit Williams four times for 84 yards and a touchdown – the longest reception for Williams was 42 yards.
Not exactly chump change in a 20-10 victory that was a shutout until the fourth quarter.
No, the Cowboys don’t need another No.2 receiver, especially not with the presence of Brice Butler, who’s right behind Williams in terms of ability and might help create an incredible offense for coordinator Scott Linehan in 2016. Butler could possibly take Williams’ spot in 2017 if Williams leaves vie free agency following next season, which looks likely if you consider the history of the Cowboys treatment of drafted big play receivers that ride in the backseat to a Pro Bowl receiver who sits at the top of the depth chart.
Remember how things turned out for Alvin Harper in 1995?
Next: Cowboys Feel The Need, The Need For Speed
If the Cowboys are interested in a speedster in the draft, like Wendall Williams of Cumberlands or Jakeem Grant of Texas Tech, that would be one thing. You can grab player like this in the middle rounds, at the earliest. But anything beyond that would be completely redundant and unrealistic, at least where expecting a rookie to outplay Williams is concerned.