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Cole Beasley

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/21

August 24th, 2021 at 6:01pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here. Teams had until 3pm today to cut their rosters down to 80 players.

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Waived: QB Kenji Bahar

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: OT Casey Tucker

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: K Ryan Succop
  • Waived/injured: OT Chidi Okeke

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

WR Kenny Stills Expected To Sign With Bills

January 2nd, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Ben Levine

After auditioning for the Bills earlier this week, veteran wideout Kenny Stills will be joining the team. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that Stills is planning to sign with Buffalo. The receiver will start undergoing COVID-19 testing, and “the team hopes he can start practicing as soon as next week.”

A part of the Laremy Tunsil/Dolphins trade, Stills was solid during his first season in Houston, and he appeared in both of the Texans playoff contests. However, the 28-year-old was cut by the Texans back in November after hauling in only 11 receptions in his 10 appearances. Between the 2016 and 2019 campaigns, Stills averaged 44 receptions for 672 yards and six touchdowns per season, so there’s a good chance he still has something left in the tank.

While John Brown is set to return to the lineup following a lengthy absence, fellow Bills wideout Cole Beasley suffered a knee injury during the Bills’ Week 16 win over the Patriots. Head coach Sean McDermott described the injury as “week-to-week” (per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques), and the wideout has already been ruled out for tomorrow’s regular season finale.

McDermott also said the team’s interest in Stills wasn’t related to the Beasley injury, meaning the veteran addition could end up playing a role alongside Brown, Beasley, and top receiver Stefon Diggs. Wideout Gabriel Davis and return man Andre Roberts seem to also have secure roles in Buffalo, but the Stills signing could end up pushing the likes of Isaiah McKenzie off the roster.

Cowboys Notes: Beasley, Garrett, Maher

November 29th, 2019 at 11:57am CST by Marc Delucchi

Former Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley had a bumpy tenure with the team. Beasley was a fan favorite in Dallas from 2012-2018, but became frustrated with the team when his role did not expand to the degree he thought it should. After signing with the Bills this offseason, Beasley got to exert his revenge in Buffalo’s 26-15 victory in Dallas on Thursday.

In the postgame celebration of Buffalo’s Thanksgiving day victory, Beasley told reporters that he felt “disrespected” in Dallas and felt that they disrespected him again in his return, according to Angel Franco of The Dallas Morning News. Beasley caught six passes for 110 receiving yards and a touchdown against his former team.

Here’s some more Cowboys notes:

  • Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones ripped his coaching staff after last week’s loss to the Patriots. After an even more disappointing loss to Buffalo on Thursday, all eyes were on the maverick owner to see if he would once again criticize his coaching staff. While Jones was not full of praise, he tried to calm the flames around the team by saying he will not make any coaching moves during the season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. This does not remove the pressure on head coach Jason Garrett to make a deep playoff run, but should make it easier to focus on the upcoming schedule.
  • Cowboys placekicker Brett Maher is in the midst of a massive sophomore slump. After an impressive rookie season that included 6 makes on 7 attempts from at least 50 yards, the Nebraska product has made just 67.9% of his field goal attempts in 2019. While special teams has been a huge problem for the Cowboys, they will not be making a change at kicker, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Maher has yet to miss an extra point on the season and remains 14 of 16 inside 40 yards, but will surely hope to improve his accuracy from deeper range during the rest of the season.

Patriots Were In On Cole Beasley

March 14th, 2019 at 3:20pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots have been trying to upgrade their wide receiver corps this offseason, and they are reportedly interested in Golden Tate, who is the best free agent wideout on the market. However, the club was also in on another slot receiver, Cole Beasley, who ultimately signed with the Bills.

At his introductory press conference, Beasley said his final decision came down to the Cowboys (his original club), the Bills, and the Patriots (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). He is the type of sure-handed, quality route-runner that has made hay in New England’s Tom Brady-led offense in the past, and he likely would have had plenty of opportunities in the club’s aerial attack in 2019. As of right now, the Pats’ wide receiver depth chart is currently topped by Julian Edelman and Bruce Ellington, who just signed today.

Phillip Dorsett, whom the club re-signed yesterday, is back in the fold but is far from a sure thing. And Beasley turned down the Pats before either Ellington or Dorsett were under contract, opting to head to upstate New York on a four-year, $29MM pact.

That will leave the Pats searching for another pass-catcher or two in free agency and/or the draft, though the team always seems to find a way to make the most out of what they have.

Contract Details: Thomas, Barr, Peterson

March 13th, 2019 at 6:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted contract details from the around the NFL:

Bills To Sign WR Cole Beasley

March 12th, 2019 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills aren’t done making upgrades at wide receiver. Shortly after inking John Brown to a free agent deal, the Bills struck an agreement with Cole Beasley, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The pact will pay Beasley $29MM over four years, Garafolo adds. 

We previously heard estimates that Beasley could get up to $10MM/year, so the $7.25MM average annual value on this deal isn’t too pricey for Buffalo by comparison. Still, it’s a big chunk of change for a player who had just 672 yards off of 65 catches last year for the Cowboys. Beasley also added three touchdowns, bringing his career total to 23.

Beasley has never been much of a deep threat with a career average of 10.3 yards per reception, but he offers speed in the short game as well as special teams acumen.

Statistically, Beasley’s best season came in 2016 when he posted a 75/833/5 line. He also averaged 11.1 yards per grab that year, which nearly matched his career best of 11.4 ypc in 2014.

La Canfora’s Latest: Mathieu, Ravens, Bucs

March 6th, 2019 at 9:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the Texans are attempting to retain Tyrann Mathieu, both the Ravens and Buccaneers have “serious interest” in the veteran defensive back, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Baltimore just released fellow safety Eric Weddle on Tuesday, while Tampa Bay has been in need of secondary help for years. Mathieu inked a one-year, $7MM deal with Houston last year, but he’s expected to receive a significant raise on his next contract. Per La Canfora, Mathieu should be able to collect $24MM over the first two years of a new deal.

Here’s more from JLC:

  • Overall, the safety market is not expected to be as depressed as it was a year ago, when Mathieu, Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, Tre Boston, and others were forced to settle for one-year pacts. Earl Thomas will set the market and is asking for $13MM annually, per La Canfora. Meanwhile, former Giants safety Landon Collins — now on the market after New York declined to franchise him — will likely come in below Thomas, and Bears defender Adrian Amos is searching for $9-10MM per year.
  • While there aren’t any clear-cut, No. 1 wideouts available this offseason, slot receivers are aplenty, and they should get paid, says JLC. Golden Tate is looking for $13MM per season, while Adam Humphries may be targeting $10MM annually and has already been deemed too expensive to return to the Buccaneers. Cole Beasley could also get $10MM per year, while John Brown wants $8-9MM per season.
  • Offensive tackle Daryl Williams is expected to reach the open market, and La Canfora reports Williams’ price has already “soared” above where the Panthers are comfortable paying. Both the Bills and Giants are expected to target Williams, and both connections make sense. Buffalo employs former Carolina staffer Brandon Beane as its general manager, while ex-Panthers GM Dave Gettleman is in charge in New York.
  • The Raiders have already been mentioned as a potential suitor for Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams, and the Colts could also join the fray, per La Canfora. Williams is expected to earn more than $12MM per year on his new deal.

Cowboys WR Cole Beasley Seeking $20MM Guaranteed

March 3rd, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys want to retain wideout Cole Beasley, but it’s going to cost them a pretty penny to do so. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram tweets that receiver is seeking a deal that will pay him at least $20MM in guaranteed money.

The team has made it very clear that they’d welcome back the 29-year-old with open arms, but coach Jason Garrett acknowledged that it might be difficult to meet the receiver’s monetary demands.

“Oh, we love Cole Beasley,” Garrett told Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. “If you followed our football team the last few years you know the impact that he’s made on our team…We want him with our team as we go forward for a long, long time, but business will creep into that on both sides. Hopefully we can get to a point where we can make a deal with him and some of these other guys where it works well for everybody and we keep moving forward.”

$20MM in guaranteed money isn’t some unprecedented number, but it’s debatable whether Beasley deserves to be on that tier of wideouts. For comparison’s sake, DeSean Jackson and Emmanuel Sanders both earned $20MM guaranteed when they signed their previous deals, and those two players had shown a whole lot more than Beasley up to that point of their careers.

Despite only starting four games for the Cowboys last season, Beasley still played more than 66-percent of the team’s offensive snaps. He lead Dallas with 65 receptions, and he hauled in 672 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Beasley has also contributed on special teams during his seven-year career.

East Notes: Jets, Cowboys, Dolphins, Bills

January 23rd, 2019 at 5:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets are expected to hire former Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack for the same position, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Pollack did a solid job with Cincinnati in 2018, but he was revered for his work with the Cowboys’ front five from 2013-17. He drew interest from the Packers after being fired by the Bengals, but will now head to New York, where the Jets ranked dead last in Football Outsiders‘ run-blocking metric and 18th in pass protection. Before hiring Pollack, the Jets also had interest in former 49ers assistant OL coach Adam Stenavich, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Stenavich has since joined the Packers’ staff as offensive line coach.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Dez Bryant regularly criticized the Cowboys‘ front office and coaching staff before and — especially — after being released, and now another Dallas receiver has taken the same tact. “Honestly, the front office pushes who they want to get the ball to,” Cole Beasley tweeted on Tuesday. “I haven’t been a huge priority in that regard. Maybe that will change but I’m not sure. More balls come my way in 2 minute drill where nothing is planned.” In 2018, the 29-year-old Beasley ranked second on the Cowboys in targets, receptions, and yardage, and tied for second with three touchdowns. His four-year, $13.6MM extension expires in March, at which point he’ll hit the free agent market.
  • NFL agent Damarius Bilbo was suspended for three months and fined $12,500 for violations of the NFLPA’s Regulations Governing Contract Advisors, as Darren Heitner tweets. Bilbo’s clients include Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry, Saints running back Alvin Kamara, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, and Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. Howard, notably, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and scheduled to hit free agency after the 2019 season, but Bilbo won’t be able to negotiate on his behalf for the time being. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald looked at Howard’s case for an extension earlier today.
  • Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams has no intention of reversing his decision to retire, as he tells Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). “I make a decision, I’ve got to go with it…” said Williams. “You couldn’t dream about coming back and trying to replicate [my final game]. That was such a great day. It’s something I’ll remember forever.” Williams, 35, spent the entirety of his 13-year career in Buffalo, appearing in 178 games during that time.
  • The Senior Bowl will be an opportunity for the Jets to begin their offseason by speaking with other clubs, as Brian Costello of the New York Post. New York could potentially be a suitor for Steelers wideout Antonio Brown, and could begin putting out feelers this week. Meanwhile, rival teams could inquire on the availability of defensive tackle Leonard Williams, per Costello.

Injury Notes: Watkins, Berry, Chiefs, Cowboys

January 12th, 2019 at 9:45am CST by Ben Levine

Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins is expected to play in today’s divisional playoff game against the Colts, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The wideout was listed as questionable with a foot injury.

The 25-year-old had only appeared in a single game since injuring his foot in Week 9, but he was able to practice throughout the week. When healthy, Watkins has managed to play a relatively big role in the Chiefs offense. In 10 games (nine starts) this season, the receiver had hauled in 40 receptions for 519 yards and three touchdowns.

With Watkins back in the mix, Chris Conley and Kelvin Benjamin will find themselves sliding down the depth chart.

Let’s take a look at some more injury notes from around the NFL…

  • While Watkins is set to play today, it sounds like one of his teammates will not. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Chiefs safety Eric Berry isn’t likely to play today against the Colts. The veteran has been dealing with injuries throughout the season, with a heel ailment being his latest issue. After playing in only one regular season game in 2017, the 30-year-old has been limited to only a pair of games in 2018, compiling 11 tackles. If there’s any silver lining, the Chiefs were reportedly preparing for Berry to miss today’s contest, as they adjusted their defensive packages to not include the veteran (via NFL.com’s Adam Maya).
  • The Cowboys are “cautiously optimistic” that both wideout Cole Beasley and tight end Blake Jarwin will be ready to play in tonight’s playoff matchup against the Rams, tweets Rapoport. Neither player practiced this week, and they’re both listed as questionable. However, Schefter tweets that the plan is for “both to work out pregame and both be active.” Beasley, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, had one of his best offensive seasons in 2017, compiling 65 catches for 672 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jarwin emerged late in the season, including a Week 17 contest where he had seven receptions for 119 yards and three scores.
  • We heard last night that Colts receiver Ryan Grant and defensive end Tyquan Lewis will not suit up for today’s matchup against the Chiefs.
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