The Dallas Cowboys have a really good offense. They can do a lot of things and have a lot of players that can help you win games. In the early part of the 2017 NFL season they found the one thing missing for a dominant offense: the deep threat. Enter Brice Butler.
Staff Writer Brian Martin touched on this earlier in the week with 5 Bye Week Decisions the Cowboys Hopefully Made.
Brice Butler’s time with the Cowboys has been marked with inconsistency and drops in crucial times of crucial games. Butler’s flipped the script in the 2017 season, and has started to put it together as the team’s field stretcher.
In a limited role that has him playing only 32% of snaps–roughly 22 snaps a game–Butler has turned his 11 targets into eight catches for 207 yards (averaging 24.7 YPR) and two touchdowns.
If you were to project those numbers over a full season at a full complement of snaps, it would look a lot like a typical DeSean Jackson season.
If you project Butler’s snaps to that of Dez Bryant through the first five games, it projects at 27 targets for 22 receptions, 500 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Over a full season, Butler would be on pace for 70 receptions, 1,600 yards, and 16 touchdowns.
That’s DeSean Jackson.
That’s how explosive and productive Butler’s been in the early stages of the 2017 season.
In fact, no player with 12 receptions or more has a better yards per reception number than Brice Butler’s 25.9. Carolina Panthers Tight End Ed Dickson leads all qualified receivers with 20.5 yards per reception.
Here’s another one for you. No player with two or more catches has a better YPR rate than Butler in 2017.
He’s been absolutely great when given the opportunity.
If there’s an area where Dallas can improve, getting Butler and his down-field ability in the game more often is it.
Really, it would help everyone on the team. Dez would be able to run more routes that compliment his physical yards-after-catch style. That, as opposed to the fly or go routes that put him in more 50/50 situations. Someone who can stretch the field vertically–like Brice Butler–would open routes up underneath for Jason Witten and Cole Beasley.
Are you concerned about the 8 and 9-man fronts Ezekiel Elliott often faces? Then get Brice “The Afterburner” Butler on the field more to prevent safeties cheating into the box.
Now, in order for me to get my way, which is going to happen since this is my post, Jason Garrett and the offensive coaches have to make some changes.
Witten, Beasley, and Bryant aren’t coming off the field.
Witten’s played nearly 100% of the snaps this season. Beasley is one of the better slot receivers in the league, and Dez is Dez; he does Dez things.
Sorry, I’ve been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss lately.
Where Can Dallas Find More Snaps for Brice Butler?
First, Terrance Williams will have to take one for the team.
Williams is a solid, rather unspectacular player, and what he does in the run game is valuable. However, he doesn’t stretch the field like Butler does. Williams doesn’t have the impact with his 65% of snaps that Brice has had with his 32%.
When the Cowboys want to go 11-personnel, they should get Butler on the field more.
Secondly, run more 10-personnel.
Put Butler and Williams on the outside and Beasley and Dez in the slot. With Elliott in the backfield there are opportunities galore for Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan and Quarterback Dak Prescott to exploit mismatches.
Third, when going with an empty backfield, use Butler as the fifth receiver.
That’s counting Witten as a receiver since he doesn’t come off the field, and it would be more effective than motioning out the running back. I get why they spread it out and then empty the backfield. It’s all based on what the defense shows them. But if you’re going to go empty, which it seems they do more often than not when lined up in a four wide receiver look, then just go empty and get Butler’s speed on the field.
Dak Prescott is showing his willingness to push the ball down the field in his second season. He needs someone who can get behind a defense and, so far, that person has been Brice Butler.
Butler may not be a perfect player, he will make mistakes, but what Cowboy hasn’t. What Butler does that nobody else on the team can do is use his speed to stress opposing defenses. To me the boom of Butler is worth getting him on the field more.
Coming out of the bye week, let’s hope the Dallas Cowboys agree.
Looks like you are drinking the Butler kool-aid too. You cannot extrapolate Butler’s 8 for 11 for 206 and 2 TD’s and come up with those gaudy numbers. Butler will NEVER have numbers that approach that I don’t care how many snaps you give him. This is a 5th year receiver that is not going to find his in inner All-Star. Is he becoming a more reliable player that can do damage in certain situations? Possibly he is. But if you give him that kind of usage defenses will be keenly aware. It works now because he is just one of the players on the field they have to worry about. If he becomes THE player they have to worry about…well he ain’t a #1 receiver. I certainly think it’s worth an experiment to get him some of T-Will’s snaps but let’s be realistic here.
Totally. Can’t say this is what he’s done this is what he will do.
Was more trying to provide context for how productive Brice has been in limited playing time.
i’m sure using butler over ksmith when they go 5 wide is a much better idea.
how do they think having a FB lined up as a WR creates any mis-matches?
just foolish!!
What happens, and we’ve seen Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy do similar things, is a team sees the Cowboys go into the huddle with 2 WRs 1 TE and 1 FB and think, base personnel, then line up 5 five wide and make LBs cover in space.
It’s the same reason why they will line up in 11 personnel, split Witten into the slot and then motion Zeke out of the backfield to go empty, make LBs cover in space.
But if you come out with 5 WRs, the Defense can send out 5 DBs to matchup.
It’s playing chess instead of checkers and While I like the idea of it, sometimes thinking too much can get you into trouble too.
I like the idea of more Brice Butler but the personnel decisions so far this season have been a little questionable. At season start I was thinking about 5 wr sets, with combos of Switzer and Beasley, Butler and Dez, etc. Scott linehan is too attached to HIS guys, and not who fits the play call. When paired against legit defenses the receiving corps have not fared well. And wat ever happened to Noah Brown??? This offense is driven well by Prescott but the personnel decisions for certain downs just kill me Wheres the creativity, not just for the playbook but for the personnel
The problem is that there just aren’t enough snaps for everyone to get on the field regularly.
Taking Williams off the field affects the run game.
Taking Witten off the field is taking off one of the more reliable receivers in the NFL.
So it makes it difficult to go five wide with Butler, Bease, Switz, Dez and TWill.
And they want to try and make linebackers cover in space, which is why they motion Elliott out of the backfield so much.
It’s crazy. But that’s why this team is doing so bad, they make bone-headed decisions. He’ll go somewhere next year and be a #1-2 borderline, and Dallas keeps him on the bench.
Butler is ready to start, Williams has been underwhelming and it’s clear Dez needs an opposite-side threat to liberate his game.
I think the Butler promotion is about to happen, and that it will be pretty transformative for the offense. After Butler notches a catch downfield single-up, you’ll have to spend the FS on him on most downs. That should enable Dez to roll at short/medium depth. It effectively makes Dez your possession receiver, but it may be the right stage in his career right now to put that role on him.
Last year and before his injury this year, even Odell Beckham was being heavily used in the short passing game. And as you mentioned John there’s no better way to get the 8th defender out of the box than a downfield threat. If the FS has to go with Butler to stop 6 points, then you probably have to stay in 2-deep on early downs.
Additionally a Butler start would perfectly compliment the other adjustment that the Cowboys are possibly about to make on offense – that of passing to set up the run. I think it’s a good idea right now because teams are playing run first & the Cowboys are weak at LG. Let Dak throw with less pressure on him on 1st down, it’s pretty high %, and now the defense has to back the hell off of Elliott.