After looking at the Secondary battle on Wednesday, today I will dive into the battle to secure a spot on the 53 at Wide Receiver. Up until the signing of David Porter and the emergence of AJ Jenkins, many felt Lucky Whitehead was already locked in for a roster spot.
These are who I feel have already solidified a spot on the final 53:
- Dez Bryant
- Terrance Williams
- Cole Beasley
- Devin Street
Street showed enough at San Diego and in practice throughout camp for the Cowboys to continue developing him for the future. Many fans felt he was going to challenge Williams for the second receiver position during camp, that definitely has not been the case.
If anything has changed at the position it will be that Cole Beasley may become the second most targeted receiver on this team. There has not been a soul that has shown the ability to cover him during Training Camp. If he stays healthy, I predict he will have between fifty to sixty catches this season.
If the team does end up keeping five Wide Receivers, which I feel is the most likely scenario, even with Gavin Escobar showing quite a few flashes of pass-catching ability during camp. So much so that Jerome Henderson has instructed his Secondary to treat him like a Wide Receiver during one on one drills.
Nick Harwell, David Porter, Lucky Whitehead, and AJ Jenkins have all made cases for making the final 53 in recent weeks. Lucky has an advantage with his return abilities, but his position as Punt Returner has not been solidified with others still getting a look.
What may play against Harwell and Porter are their Practice Squad eligibility and the fact that they would be less likely to be claimed after final cuts, as opposed to Lucky. If the Coaching Staff is extremely high on Lucky they may keep him on the roster in fear of perhaps losing him, as he has shown some positive flashes.
At this position, it really may come down to the final Preseason game to judge who is worthy of the final Wide Receiver spot on this team. I imagine Wide Receivers Coach Derek Dooley’s voice will be important when deciding who that may be.
