Dallas Cowboys: Beasley or Williams, who is the odd man out?

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 24: Wide receivers Cole Beasley
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 24: Wide receivers Cole Beasley /
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The Dallas Cowboys bringing in free agent Allen Hurns could mean the end for either Terrance Williams or Cole Beasley. Which one is the odd man out?

The addition of Allen Hurns has made the Dallas Cowboys offseason a tad bit more unpredictable. The Cowboys will likely need to release someone before the 2018 season begins and considering the fact that Hurns has signed a two-year deal he will likely remain with the team past 2018. But what does this say about Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams?

Well, it appears that competition will be the key to camp this year as the Dallas Cowboys could bring in more talent at the wide receiver position via the NFL draft. The fight for snaps will be brutal and if either Beasley or Williams is not productive, we could see one of them released prior to Week One.

The Cowboys cannot keep every wide receiver on their roster and if they draft Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, or Courtland Sutton the level of competition will jump up a notch. Beasley is in the last year of his contract and Williams could be the safer bet to make the team as he would leave more dead money if released then cap relief.

The most telling thing about the Hurns signing is the price tag, he costs around the same amount as both Beasley and Williams which means he is likely a replacement for one of these players. While the Hurns replacing Dez Bryant talk has been rampant, it is just not true.

Bryant may need to take a pay cut but he is slightly a cut above (no pun intended) Hurns in the talent department. Hurns is a lot younger and will likely represent the future at the position if he is productive but he is more of a complimentary wide receiver than a primary number one option.

Hurns will likely take the place of whoever manages to be less productive, Beasley or Williams. The Dallas Cowboys signed both of them to pretty ridiculous contracts considering the level of production they have posted in their careers.

Beasley was understandable coming off of an epic season with Dak Prescott and the level of chemistry they have shown together. Williams was exactly the opposite. He had some important moments throughout the season catching some clutch balls however he never did it consistently nor did he show that he was a red zone threat.

That at the end of the day did not matter and the Cowboys decided to extend him anyway. Now we are at a point where we can clearly see what these guys can do and so far it is not a whole lot. Williams actually scored more touchdowns in his first two seasons with Dallas than he has the past three years that has to be a fairly telling sign.

Beasley has been steady over the past four years averaging around 400 receiving yards and 4.5 touchdowns. The numbers are black and white and the only edge Williams may have (albeit a small one) is in how many yards he can accumulate as he is currently averaging around 500 plus receiving yards.

I feel as if this situation will come to a head during camp as both players fight for snaps against Hurns and fellow free agent addition,  Deonte Thompson. Thompson is more of a replacement for Brice Butler but he also can return kicks which has been Ryan Switzer’s job.

Who knows where all of the pieces will land but one thing is certain the Dallas Cowboys are looking to upgrade this wide receiving corps with or without the veterans in the offense.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: Should the Cowboys trade for Odell Beckham Jr?