Is Randall Cobb a cheaper Cole Beasley?

Is Randall Cobb a cheaper Cole Beasley?

On Tuesday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys made a sneaky move in free agency. 28-year-old veteran slot receiver Randall Cobb agreed to a 1 year/$5 Million deal to join the defending NFC East champs. Playing his first eight seasons in Green Bay, Cobb had 470 catches for 5,520 yards and 41 TD. His best season came when he was 24, where he was named his one and only Pro Bowl through his career so far. That year, he caught 91 passes for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns. Cobb has never had this type of year since but produced consistently year in and year out for the Packers. Let’s analyze the deal and see how Cobb is going to help Dallas win football games this year.

When the deal became official, numerous writers, analysts, and fans all had the same opinion. Randall Cobb would be the new Cole Beasley, a slot receiver who is going to be an efficient route runner and a reliable check-down option for Dak Prescott. Well, all these people are 100% right. Randall Cobb, in many ways, is a mirror image of Cole Beasley. Let’s compare the two players based off their 2018 seasons:

Cole Beasley Randall Cobb

Age

29 28

Receptions

65 38

Yards

672 383

Touchdowns

3 2

Games Played

16 9

From the numbers, it is obvious that Cole Beasley had the better season. There are things to take into consideration though. Cole Beasley played in an offense that runs first and a “dink and dunk” passing game. This fits the slot receiver very well, as the 5 yard out route is more popular than the 40- yard fly route in this type of offense. For Cobb’s argument, his offense was very different. If you play for the Green Bay Packers in this era, you are playing with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Nothing against Rodgers, but he is looking to throw downfield more often than to check down. It’s just the different style between him and Dak. Cobb can easily become a favorite target for Prescott and could prove to be the safety blanket alongside Jason Witten in the Cowboys offense.

-By: Richie Dordas