In a recent appearance on Cowboys Cast, I discussed the Dallas Cowboys' stability at the Wide Receiver position with host Bobby Belt.
Bobby said that he felt the receiving corps. didn't take as much flack for 2015 as maybe they should have. It's a fair point when you consider that the Cowboys, entering the season as supposed Super Bowl contenders, fell flat on their faces to the tune of a 4-12 record.
Now to be totally fair to everyone the absence of both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant certainly influenced things in a negative manner. I did agree with Bobby though; We all saw Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kellen Moore take quite the public beating on Twitter week after week… but what about those receivers?
Terrance Williams, often criticized for his tendency to “body catch” the passes thrown his way, finished the season with 52 catches for 840 yards and 3 touchdowns. This is particularly disappointing considering that at this time a year ago T-Will was getting all the work as the primary receiver when Dez Bryant was absent while working on the contract he'd eventually get.
It was at this moment in the conversation that a thought suddenly dawned on me.
We spent a great deal of time debating whether or not the Cowboys should take a quarterback with the 4th Overall Pick. This was in a world before the Rams and Eagles both tried to completely undo their involvement with Sam Bradford by trading up to #1 and #2 respectively for franchise signal callers. The reason many petitioned for a quarterback was partly due to the future status of Tony Romo's health and partly due to the lack of talent behind him at the position.
Kellen Moore is, for reasons yet to be understood by the large contingency of Cowboys Nation, the answer in the event that Tony Romo does go down. In two games and some change during the 2015 season, Kellen completed 61 passes for 779 yards with 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. This seems excusable because Kellen threw all of those passes left-handed, only until you realize that he actually is left-handed.
To make a long story short, or a really long story less long, while I was answering Bobby's question I realized that Kellen Moore and Terrance Williams are, in a lot of ways, the same person in terms of what they contribute to the Dallas Cowboys. One way stands out above the rest.
They Are Both The Assumed Backup At Their Position
We already discussed the banter about the Cowboys taking a QB at #4 when it was feasible. They didn't go that route, but they did draft Dak Prescott in the 4th Round (who now wears #4… I love stuff like that). It's unlikely that Dak dethrones Kellen as the second quarterback on the depth chart, and Jameill Showers seems destined for the practice squad yet again. There simply isn't any competition for Kellen and he's basically being handed the backup job.
The same can almost be said for Terrance Williams. While, yes, Brice Butler is in town and looking to show what he can do while paired up with Tony Romo… this is Terrance's job to lose. Wide Receivers Coach Derek Dooley recently inferred that Terrance will hold on to this job and that it would take some sort of unforeseen circumstance to change that.
To most fans these moves at such important positions feel like a settlement. How can we be so wishy-washy at points on the roster that plagued us just a year ago? It's not like they plagued us in general, they plagued us because of the EXACT SAME PLAYERS THAT ARE IN THE SAME POSITIONS.
Come to Hypothetical City with me for a second. What if Tony Romo and Dez Bryant both go down again? Is it unlikely that the football gods hate the Cowboys that much? Probably. Nevertheless, that level of armageddon is at the very least possible.
So alright we're assuming that's the case. Who would take over for them? Kellen Moore and Terrance Williams. Well right on! That worked so well last year! We're doing smart things! Yay!
The portion of the offseason where acquisitions are made (Free Agency and the Draft) have come and gone, with the Cowboys addressing these two positions by simply drafting Dak Prescott. That's it.
I've said before on here and different podcasts (you should listen to my weekly one, the RJOShow) that the Cowboys are approaching the 2016 with a sense of arrogance. The selection of Ezekiel Elliott, as much as well all love it, is a glaring indication of that disposition.
Perhaps the most flagrant sign of pompousness from this Front Office and Coaching Staff is that they are not only willingly but intentionally relying heavily on both Kellen Moore and Terrance Williams as the assumed backups at their respective positions when in the most recent sample size taken they both failed miserably.
Usually when arrogance is displayed it's because whoever is doing it feels like they can back up their claim. Hopefully the 2016 Dallas Cowboys can… because otherwise it's going to be pretty embarrassing.
What are your thoughts? Is it arrogant or irresponsible to just hand over the backup jobs to Kellen Moore and/or Terrance Williams? Let me know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
