http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... their-shotCole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys
Role: Slot receiver
Drafted: Undrafted free agent, 2012
How Acquired: Signed after the draft by Dallas
NFL Games Before 2013: 10
Got His Job Because: Tony Romo needed an underneath receiver
What the Fans Think:
(I didn't say the fans wouldn't occasionally be Grantland contributors, either.) Beasley is yet another example of why paying slot receivers big bucks tends to be a fool's errand. I'll spare you the names you're going to expect me to throw out there and compare him with another slot guy from the past two seasons. Whom would you rather have: Beasley at the league minimum, or Tavon Austin for $12.75 million over four years? Or, to be more specific: Would you rather have Austin and a street free agent or Beasley and some other player whom you could have taken with the eighth overall pick in the draft? The Austin book is far from finished, but Beasley's that rarest of birds: a bargain on the Cowboys.