The Dallas Cowboys will have a lot of position battles that will be interesting to keep track of throughout the remainder of the off-season. One position battle that I know I will be keeping a close eye on will be at wide receiver.
There is a lot of speculation that Terrance Williams might get demoted if Brice Butler steps up his game the way a lot of people are expecting.
Butler showed quite a few flashes in 2015 that he can be a valued member on offense, but he also struggled with reoccurring injuries throughout the season.
I’m actually looking forward to see what Butler can do with a full off-season with the Cowboys organization and hopefully a better chance to develop a bond with quarterback Tony Romo.
There’s something about Butler’s game that is intriguing and I think that’s one of the main reasons why a lot of people believe he could push Williams for that #2 wide receiver spot opposite Dez Bryant.
I don’t expect Terrance Williams to go down without a fight and I’m not even sure if it will be that close of a battle.
Williams has a lot of things going for him that Butler doesn’t. He has already established a good working bond with his quarterback and he has the experience and knowledge in offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s scheme.
Those things alone give him a huge advantage over Butler, especially since he already has that strong working bond with Romo and the trust between the two players can’t be discounted either.
Let’s not forget the fact that Williams has been a really solid wide receiver playing opposite Dez Bryant since entering the league in 2013.
Here is a look at his statistics over his first three years in the NFL.
Season |
Receptions |
Yards |
TDs |
| 2015 | 52 | 840 | 3 |
| 2014 | 37 | 621 | 8 |
| 2013 | 44 | 736 | 5 |
A lot of teams around the NFL would love to have a #2 wide receiver with those kind of numbers. There’s something to be said about consistency and you can’t deny that Williams has been a consistent WR for the Cowboys.
I personally think that a lot of this talk about Terrance Williams is based on the unfair expectations that were placed on him when Dez Bryant went down with an injury in 2015.
Nearly everybody wanted Williams to be able to step up and fill the shoes left by Bryant, but that’s simply not his game.
Terrance Williams isn’t a #1 WR in the NFL, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He has proven that he can be a dangerous enough threat so that Bryant isn’t double covered the majority of the game and that is one of the underrated jobs of a #2 WR.
Another thing that I really like about Williams is that he is willing to do the dirty work in the running game and block down the field. That is something that could come in handy in 2016 with Ezekiel Elliott toting the rock.
In fact, the 2014 season was perhaps Williams best year and that’s when the Cowboys were relying heavily on DeMarco Murray and the running game. I expect that they will get back to that blueprint in 2016 with Elliott.
If I’m being completely honest though, the only thing that really frustrates me about Williams’ game is that he is a body catcher.
I can’t tell you how much it irritates me to see wide receivers catch with their body instead of using their hands. Body catchers usually have to slow down and stop the routes to catch the ball, but hand catchers are able to continue running through their routes without having to slow down the majority of the time.
All in all, I don’t expect Terrance Williams to relinquish the #2 wide receiver job without putting up a fight and if I know one thing about Williams it is that he’s a fighter.
He comes to work every day with an attitude to improve and it’s that attitude that has made the former third-round draft pick out of Baylor a valued member in the Cowboys passing game.
While Brice Butler tries to convince the coaching staff for the Cowboys that he is ready for a large role on offense, Williams will continue to go about his business and do what he has done since entering the league.
This would definitely be a position battle to keep track of, but don’t expect Williams go down without a fight.
You can credit head coach Jason Garrett for creating competition throughout the roster and the Williams and Butler battle is just getting underway.
How do you see this position battle shaking out?
Please feel free to use the comment section below to share your thoughts and comments. I look forward to discussing this topic further.
