The Dallas Cowboys are struggling to get things going. On offense, on defense and on special teams, things are not going as planned. Not even close. After losing their second game of the season – this time against the Los Angeles Rams – the Cowboys have a lot to think about.
On offense, Dak Prescott and company looked alright during the first half. It was the second half when all started to fail.
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After halftime, the Cowboys were out-coached, and they were outplayed. Dak missed some throws, and the offense as a whole failed to execute. The Cowboys scored only six points during the second half. The Rams scored 19.
After the first quarter of the 2017 season, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting at 2-2. It's only fair to say that, not even on those two wins, have the Cowboys had a dominant performance. They truly haven't.
I can't help but wonder about a specific player who was very important for this offense's success last year. A player we haven't seen that much this season.
In 2016, Cole Beasley led this team in receptions. He was one of the most important players for Dak Prescott's development as a rookie and he simply helped the team move the ball. When Dez Bryant was out with an injury, Beasley was the most important receiver of the team.
Let's take a look at Beasley's numbers through four weeks, compared to last season's stats.
- 2016: 29 targets, 23 receptions, 279 yards.
- 2017: 20 targets, 11 receptions, 86 yards.
Why hasn't Cole been as involved on this offense as he should be?
I think there are more than a couple of reasons for this. And I also think Scott Linehan should start thinking about how to get 11 more involved as soon as possible.
It's worth mentioning, that opposing defenses have been very cautious regarding the Cowboys' slot WR. He's faced double-teams, as well as triple-teams.
https://twitter.com/Marcus_Mosher/status/913403403413463040
But that shouldn't be enough to limit Beasley, and that is probably not the reason he is not being used more by the Scott Linehan's offense.
Ever since the 2016 Cowboys season ended last January, we've been talking about how Dez Bryant and Dak Prescott would develop a chemistry that would take the QB-WR duo to another level.
But it just seems that chemistry isn't there. And at times, it even feels like Dallas is trying to force such thing. Maybe they should change things up a bit.
Last year, Beasley did have a connection going on with Dak Prescott. Why not go back to that? Even though he is being paid more attention by opposing defenses, this offense needs to find the way to make it work.
Scott Linehan should be working on ways to get one of the best slot wide receivers the ball and help this offense get going. He can be that difference maker.
Maybe even try to use him at the same time as Ryan Switzer. He might be a rookie, but with their similar skill sets, they can become a threat for other defenses. These types of receivers are not easy to cover, let alone two of them.
The Cowboys offense has had slow starts, and slow endings, as was the case yesterday. They need to find the way to be effective for 60 minutes.
Cole Beasley might be the answer. If he gets going, the whole offense will get going.
