Finding silver linings for the 2015 Dallas Cowboys has been difficult. However, when a team gets eliminated from the playoffs, they start to figure out which players will be back for next season. With Dez Bryant suffering with both foot and ankle injuries, Brice Butler was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 16 and his performance opened up some eyes.
With Kellen Moore starting, it should be said that the two have history from practice. After all, both were taking second-team snaps and the two could’ve found a rapport there. In Week 16, Butler was targeted nine times. Butler was Moore’s favorite receiver all day. The ex-Oakland Raider corralled four passes for 73 yards, one of which was a 34-yard reception that set the Cowboys up inside the seven-yard line.
When the Cowboys acquired Butler in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick, the decision raised some eyes, as the Cowboys still hadn’t figured out what they exactly had in Devin Street. But the 2015 season has shown that Street is not a capable NFL receiver. It has also shown on multiple occasions the role Butler can play going forward in Dallas.
Butler is signed through the 2016 season and with Tony Romo returning, it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys use him. After all, it’s hard for defenses to guard a 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver who can take the top off the defense with a 4.4 speed.
As he continues to get familiar in Dallas, Butler will only improve. He has the traits to be good in a limited role in Dallas and his Week 16 performance against Buffalo proved exactly just that.
