Buffalo Bills: Why the Cole Beasley signing makes a world of sense

The Buffalo Bills added an experienced wide receiver to the roster in Cole Beasley who can come in and be a reliable target right away.

In the wake of Tuesday’s big signings across the NFL which saw Odell Beckham Jr. go to the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bills made some moves of their own.

The signing of Cole Beasley to a four-year, $29 million contract means the undrafted receiver out of Southern Methodist University will now be playing outside his home state for the first time in his career.

Beasley comes to the Bills during a very active free agency season which has landed some quality players on the team’s roster, completely revitalizing it from last year’s club.

The signing, in my opinion, is safe.

Beasley has been no slouch during his time with Dallas, but he has been nothing to write home about.

Though he has not once been selected to a Pro Bowl in his now six full seasons, Beasley recently completed two of his better seasons, recording 314 yards and four touchdowns in 2017 while just recently he put up 672 yards and three touchdowns last season.

672 yards is extremely impressive for Beasley as the number could have easily been in the 800-850 range if it were not for the arrival of Amari Cooper. With Cooper coming to town, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was gifted a top receiver.

With Cooper commanding much of the offense to go his way, Beasley saw himself on the outside looking in. The program that was once his own, was no longer.

Now arriving in Buffalo, amidst a culture change orchestrated by Brandon Beane, the conversation has shifted to a question: What can he do for this team?

And to put it plain and simple: Catch the ball.

Hauling in receptions was not the Bills strong-suit last season. Many a fan can recall screaming profanities at the television after seeing their “number one” receiver in Kelvin Benjamin drop pass after pass and being totally disinterested with being on the field.

This time around, Beasley sees Benjamin’s abysmal 37.3 percent catch rating and raises his 74.7 percent rating (I am no math major but that looks like an improvement).

The thing that is making Bills fans rejoice about this signing is the fact that Beasley can get open. Which makes room for Josh Allen to show off his cannon of an arm that we got glimpses of last season. After looking at Beasley’s NFL Next Gen Stats, I came to the number one conclusion why this signing makes sense. He gets downfield.

Though Beasley ran a lot of crossing and out routes in the Cowboys system, he was good for 28 receptions in the 20-40+ yard range; a range the Bills could desperately use to their advantage.

All in all, I like this signing.

I think it brings a multitude of things to the Bills locker room and finally gives offensive coordinator Brian  Daboll a sure-fire target along with someone who can get open for Allen and keep him in the pocket and away from danger.