To say that Terrance Williams has had a run of bad luck recently would be an understatement. First he breaks his foot, which kept him out of all of the offseason practices so far. Then, he ends up getting arrested on an intoxication charge, a Class C misdemeanor, on May 19 after crashing his Lamborghini into a light pole. Unfortunately for him, his bad luck could continue with training camp approaching because he could be looking at a demotion.
As things stand right now, I have a hard time seeing Williams being any more than the fourth wide receiver on the Dallas Cowboys depth chart. I have him behind Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, and rookie Michael Gallup (in that order) right now, possibly falling even further. For now, I’ll pencil him in at WR4 though.
I believe a lot of Dallas Cowboys fans wouldn’t be too terribly upset if we don’t see a lot of Terrance Williams in 2018. Fans have been unhappy with Williams for quite some time and many voiced their displeasure when the Cowboys signed him to a contract extension last offseason. But, he is still on the roster, which means we should probably expect him to stick around for at least one more season.
There is a cloud still hanging over Williams’ head though. His intoxication arrest is still an open case and the league could decide to discipline/suspend him for breaking the NFL’s conduct policy. That could impact his availability to start the season, which could ultimately determine where he exactly fits in on offense in 2018.
I know, it’s a lot to take in, but that’s how things stand right now and I don’t things get much clearer when training camp gets underway. But, let’s try to dive into this little deeper to try to determine what to expect from T-Will this year.
As I mentioned earlier, I believe Hurns, Beasley, and Gallup are the top three Cowboys receivers this year. If that proves to be true, Williams is looking at demotion. He may be nothing more than an insurance policy in case of injury.
Terrance Williams does have something going in his favor though. He has the coaching staffs trust, which means he could reprise the same role we have seen from him in the past. But, that’s where his potential suspension comes into play.
If Williams is indeed suspended, that would give more opportunities to other WRs on the roster to prove themselves, particularly Michael Gallup and Noah Brown. I think these are the two receivers who could have the biggest impact on Williams’ offensive role this season.
Gallup will without a doubt receive every opportunity to prove he’s ready to hit the ground running as a rookie. I think he will be successful, which is why I have him ahead of Williams on the depth chart to begin with. Noah Brown on the other hand is the wild card here.
I’m a big fan of Noah Brown’s. I believe he can adequately replace Williams as both a receiver in the passing game and as a blocker in the running game, something the coaching staff really values about Williams. I think he has a chance to leapfrog T-Will on the depth chart, but he’s really going to have to have a good training camp to do that.
Having said all that, I still don’t know exactly where Terrance Williams will fit offensively for the Dallas Cowboys in 2018, but I think his bad luck will continue. I think he should probably just be an insurance policy in case of injuries, but will have to wait to see if the coaching staff agrees.
Every year the same meme and hater diatribe. Every year, TWill proves them wrong. He is the modern version of Alvin Harper and Miles Austin. Great #2 receivers that aren’t and never will be lead dogs.
His statistics are extremely consistent and in the upper echelon of second (X) receivers. But more than that, there are a few significant things that most everyone forgets.
1. He is an outstanding blocker. Among the best. As a running team, the strong side receivers (X) are crucial.
2. Rookie receiver performance is almost always erratic and disappointing. OBJs 2014 draft class aside, it takes 2,3 years for receiver to bloom. Strength, route trees, and CB talent mean a significant learning curve. Same for OT, DE, and CB. Very few exceptions.
3. Availability is the most important ability. TWill hasn’t missed a game in 5 year career. He will not be suspended because he has never been in the drug program protocol.
4. Underrated talent. He’s fast enough (4.5), big enough (6-2, 210), consistently solid (45 rec, 650 yes, 4 TDs, 16 ypc) Those are monster numbers for a the most run heavy team in the NFL.
5. Very affordable salary. Very un-cutable prorated bonus/dead money.
6. Great locker room guy. Leader. Trusted by coaches and players. THE leader in the WR room
All the vitriol aimed at him and spewed forth in articles like this are simply from those uninformed or pushing an agenda for their pet cat
Here’s an article by Todd Archer from 2015
http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4744733/terrance-williams-speed-can-be-cowboys-game-changer
I’m actually a fan of T-Will. I didn’t put him down in the article. I merely stated that if he is indeed suspended to start the season he could end up in a hole that’s hard to climb out of. It would give other receivers a chance to prove they deserve more playing time, resulting in a demotion for Williams. However, I do believe there comes a time when you have to give some of these young WRs a chance. I think Noah Brown can adequately replace 83 as both a receiver and a blocker. In fact, I think Brown is the best blocking WR on the entire roster. But, if Williams isn’t suspended, I expect him to reprise the same role.
Article title and most every point made belie this, but I’ll take it on face value. Obviously, Brown is a pet cat of yours (and many others), I get that.
Basically the same size and measurables (Twill is slightly faster and quicker, Brown is stronger and thicker), the main issue with most heaters is the body catching of Twill vs hand catching of Brown, which I agree.
But given the fact that Williams cannot be cut, has the experience and proven performance, Brown has to supplant other candidates including 6rd Wilson, Deonte Thompson and fellow 2nd year co-pet cat Lenoir. One spot available. Maybe two.
My guess is Brown, Lenoir, and Wilson will compete for Practice squad. Deonte Thompson has slight advantages due to blazing speed (4.3) and KO returns.
Ideally, one of the three young guys push for the sixth WR and the other two make PS to grow and next year we will have this same conversation.
Brian,
Good article and you are correct that Twill has had a run of bad luck. The foot and the accident have put him back temporarily and I would agree that going into training camp he could have fallen to #4.
I just don’t think TWill is going anywhere. His contract precludes that. TWill plays through pain and has a high tolerance for it. Therefore , I believe he will recoup his #2 position quicker than expected.
The larger, more interesting question is how many WRs will we keep, especially with the return of Randy Gregory. I’ve seen numbers as low as 5 WRs and as high as 7. The median is 6 and I will say the easy picks go to Beasley, Hurns,Gallup,and TWill. My pet cat is Cedric Wilson and his numbers are impressive, even if he is from Boise State (that may even help him). No guarantees on any WR after the first 4 named. Cedric could end up on the practice squad, but we might lose him there. To me Deontay and Noah are both question marks. Can’t wait for Training Camp to sift it all out.