Cowboys News: Dallas Loses WR Cole Beasley To Bills

The Dallas Cowboys turned a 3-5 start into a miraculous division title and playoff victory last season, but they will need to find receiver help if they want to repeat in 2019. After plenty of speculation that wide receiver Cole Beasley would leave Dallas in free agency, it became official on Tuesday.

NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday afternoon that Beasley had agreed to a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. The deal comes out to a total of $29 million, with $14.4 million guaranteed.

According to Garafolo, the Cowboys were interested in retaining Beasley but did not offer as much as Buffalo. He never made more than $3.5 million per season in Dallas, so the upgrade to around $7.25 million per year in Buffalo is significant.

Beasley was never a top NFL receiver with the Cowboys, but he was a favorite target of QB Dak Prescott. His two best seasons were with Prescott under center in 2016 and 2018, and he was second on the team in receiving yards last season with 672. Now, the Cowboys will likely

The writing seemed to be on the wall since January, when Beasley tweeted candidly about his desire for more targets next season. He said he would “play anywhere where [he could] make more of an impact,” whether it was Dallas or elsewhere.

For the Cowboys, expect mid-season acquisition Amari Cooper to be the focal point of the passing game going forward. Second-year player Michael Gallup will probably get more opportunities in 2019, as will any players they draft or sign in free agency.

Buffalo, meanwhile, seems intent on upgrading its receiving corps to help sophomore quarterback Josh Allen. Last year’s seventh overall pick struggled as a rookie, something that was not helped by a subpar group of receivers. Only Zay Jones eclipsed 500 receiving yards on the year, and he finished with just 652 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Bills were apparently close to acquiring star WR Antonio Brown late last week, but Brown reportedly vetoed it. He ended up with the Oakland Raiders instead.