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Cole Beasley

WR Cole Beasley Contemplating Second Retirement

May 6th, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

A few veterans have already found new homes during the post-draft wave of free agency, but several others remain on the open market. One of those is wideout Cole Beasley, who may soon end his career for the second time.

The 34-year-old began the 2022 season with the Buccaneers, but announced his retirement after only a pair of games. He reversed course on that decision in December, signing a deal allowing him to resume his tenure with the Bills. Beasley’s future now once again remains in doubt, and he is anxious to spend more time with a new team during the offseason compared to last year.

“If I’m not in a training camp I’m retiring,” he said (on Twitter). “Coming in when the season has already started doesn’t give me a chance to be implemented and make an impact. I need camp to develop chemistry with everyone and build confidence. If they won’t give me that then they don’t want me there.”

Beasley totaled just seven catches in Buffalo last season, but he is open to once again playing a role in the team’s offense. The Bills have been connected to pass-catching additions this offseason in the hopes of lessening their dependence on Stefon Diggs. That led them to trade up in the first round to select Dalton Kincaid, the first tight end to come off the board and generally considered the best pass-catcher in a loaded class at the position.

Given the role Kincaid will no doubt have in the middle of the field, Beasley would likely be relegated to a rotational assignment if he were to re-sign. As a result, he downplayed the chances of a fifth year in Buffalo coming to fruition, saying online that “it was fun while it lasted though” (h/t the Buffalo News).

The SMU product received over 100 targets in each of his three full seasons with the Bills, a span which included his best year in terms of yardage (967 in 2020). The recent nature of his success in a full-time starting role could be enticing to a team looking for a veteran presence in the slot. Absent any firm offers in the near future, though, Beasley appears set to hang up his cleats for good.

Giants Rumors: Lawrence, Edwards, WRs, Love

March 12th, 2023 at 6:03pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants have been eyeing an extension for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence for a while now and, following a breakout season, the team has made it a priority. New York started preliminary conversations with Lawrence about two weeks ago, but Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS claims he wouldn’t be surprised to see a new deal done “sooner than later.”

Despite the ever-growing markets for every position, the league’s market for defensive tackles has never been near the contract of generational talent Aaron Donald. It appears that this will continue to be the case as we see the defensive tackle market reestablished this offseason. Washington has already made Daron Payne the new second-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL behind Donald with a four-year, $90MM contract. Payne’s average annual value of $22.5MM is still well short of Donald’s $31.67MM per year.

It will be interesting to see where the Giants go from Payne’s deal. Payne established himself as a premier pass-rushing defensive tackle in the league this season but struggled in run defense. Lawrence didn’t have the pass rush production that Payne did but still excelled in the area while also being strong against the run.

Lawrence graded out as the second-best defensive tackle in the league this year, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). It would make perfect sense for the Giants to reward Lawrence with a contract that surpasses that of Payne’s new deal, but will Lawrence be able to come anywhere close to the heights reached by Donald?

Here are a few more rumors surrounding the Giants’ priorities at the start of the new league year:

  • Starting the offseason with 21 unrestricted free agents, New York had a laundry list of names and positions to take care of. One of those positions that has been getting some chatter is inside linebacker. Specifically, the Giants have continuously been connected to Eagles pending free agent linebacker T.J. Edwards, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. The four-year Philadelphia defender has had two increasingly impressive breakout seasons, recording career-highs last year in total tackles (159), tackles for loss (10), sacks (2.0), quarterback hits (5), and passes defensed (7). Aside from Edwards, the top name expected to be available at the position is Tremaine Edmunds from Buffalo. Other names of interest for the G-Men include the Commanders’ Cole Holcomb, the Bengals’ Germaine Pratt, the Cowboys’ Leighton Vander Esch, the Lions’ Alex Anzalone, and the Chargers’ Drue Tranquill.
  • The wide receivers position has been an obvious need on the Giants’ roster for some time now, but it doesn’t appear that the Giants intend to address that through free agency, according to Pat Leonard of New York Daily News. With their focuses in free agency and the draft reportedly on inside linebackers, defensive linemen, cornerbacks, and interior offensive linemen, thoughts are that the trade market may make more sense for New York. If the Bills aren’t able to reach an extension agreement with Gabriel Davis, the Giants could be strong contenders to acquire his talents. The Rams have granted receiver Allen Robinson permission to seek a trade. Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins appears to be available for a price, as well. There are other names that could be interesting additions to the trade market such as Cincinnati wideout Tyler Boyd or Denver’s Jerry Jeudy. The team might still make free agency moves for veterans like Cole Beasley or Odell Beckham Jr., but the trade market could be a more attractive way to bring in established talent to New York.
  • There is reportedly optimism that the Giants will be able to come to an agreement to re-sign pending free agent safety Julian Love. After two seasons of relatively down play, Love had a bounce-back, breakout season in a contract year. He led the team in tackles by a mile with 124 total and tacked on two interceptions for good measure. Love may not be expected to make top money at the position, but after playing out his rookie contract, it appears Love is on the right track to remaining in New York long-term.

WR Cole Beasley Wants To Play In 2023, Open To Bills Return

February 5th, 2023 at 12:59pm CST by Rory Parks

Wide receiver Cole Beasley announced his retirement in October, only to unretire several months later. Per Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, Beasley wants to suit up in 2023, and he is open to a return to the Bills.

Buffalo released Beasley in a cost-cutting move last March after he enjoyed a productive three-year run as the club’s primary slot receiver. He found a healthy market for his services and ultimately elected to join Tom Brady & Co. in Tampa Bay. However, he appeared in just two games for the Bucs, posting four catches for 17 yards, before abruptly retiring.

As Skurski observes, the retirement was a boon to Beasley from a health standpoint. He had played through a herniated disc in his neck in the prior couple of seasons, but his time away from the game allowed his injury to heal. This offseason, he is again able to enjoy his normal workout routine.

In an effort to replace Beasley’s production, the Bills signed fellow slot-man Jamison Crowder, but Crowder sustained a fractured ankle in October and played in just four games. Isaiah McKenzie and quarterback Josh Allen never developed the rapport that Beasley and Allen enjoyed, which led Buffalo to circle back to Beasley in December. While Beasley needed time to get back into game shape and learn the playbook of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, it did not take him too long to find a rhythm.

After playing in just 17 snaps over the final two games of the regular season, Beasley was on the field for 61 snaps over the Bills’ two playoff contests, catching five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. With Crowder out of contract and Beasley — who will turn 34 in April — unlikely to command a particularly lucrative deal, Buffalo could certainly consider a re-up if it believes he can serve as Allen’s slot option over the course of a full season.

“At this point in my career, I’m still hungry and my body feels good,” Beasley said. “I still feel like I can do it and I can compete and play at a level that I’ve been playing at before this season. Obviously, I want to be somewhere that I can win, and I know that’s here, also. If that option is there, I would definitely do that. We’ll just have to see.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/12/23

January 12th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Only one minor move to pass along today:

Buffalo Bills

Beasley came out of retirement to rejoin the Bills in mid-December. He got into two regular season games with Buffalo, hauling in two catches for 18 yards. Murray appeared in five games for the Bills this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/23

January 2nd, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills 

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed from practice squad: CB Allan George
  • Promoted: QB Jake Browning

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/22

December 23rd, 2022 at 5:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves heading into the NFL’s largest slate of Saturday games of the season:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: G Kyle Hinton

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Bills Sign WR Cole Beasley

December 17th, 2022 at 4:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

TODAY, 4:25pm: It didn’t take long for Cole Beasley to make his way to the active roster. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the wideout has been promoted from the practice squad for tonight’s game.

TUESDAY, 8:40am: After a brief stint in retirement, Cole Beasley is set to play once again in the NFL. The veteran wideout is set to re-join the Bills, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the move.

2022 has been a busy year for the 33-year-old. Beasley was released by the Bills in a cost-cutting move at the onset of free agency, after three seasons in Buffalo during which he remained a productive slot receiver and played a key role in the team’s offense. That led to a healthy market for his services, and the opportunity to land with another contenting team.

That appeared to be the case when he signed with the Buccaneers in September, after being recruited by Tom Brady amidst the team’s uncertainty at the WR position. That deal resulted in only two games with Tampa Bay, however, and the former UDFA made just four catches during that time. Shortly thereafter, Beasley retired from the NFL.

Mere months after that decision, though, he will re-join a Bills team which leads the AFC with a 10-3 record. Garafolo tweets that Beasley will begin on the team’s practice squad, but is likely to be elevated to the active roster soon. Buffalo boasts the league’s sixth-most productive passing attack (averaging 274 yards per game through the air), but the slot has not been a consistent source of success on the year.

Free agent addition Jamison Crowder has been out since Week 4, leaving Isaiah McKenzie as the team’s primary option to operate in a complementary role to Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The latter two have enjoyed successful seasons to date, but McKenzie has recorded 44 receiving yards or fewer in all but two contests this year. Beasley should be able to at least compete for snaps on the inside and provide Josh Allen with a familiar pass-catching option, having received over 100 targets in each of his seasons with the Bills.

This news also marks the second consecutive day in which an Odell Beckham Jr. suitor has signed a veteran wideout. Beckham’s likelihood to miss the remainder of the regular season – if not more of the 2022 campaign – steered the Cowboys towards T.Y. Hilton, who is able to contribute right away; the same is believed to be true of Beasley. Of the teams which hosted Beckham recently, only the Giants have yet to make a move at wideout, perhaps leaving them as the new favorite to strike a deal should one materialize.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/22

December 13th, 2022 at 7:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: QB Carson Strong

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: LB Nate Landman
  • Released: OL Parker Ferguson

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: LB Storey Jackson

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Buccaneers WR Cole Beasley To Retire

October 5th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Cole Beasley played in two Buccaneers games since joining their practice squad in September, but the veteran wide receiver is changing course. The productive slot receiver plans to retire immediately, per Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

This abrupt retirement will end an 11-year career spent with the Cowboys, Bills and Bucs. Beasley, 33, spent the offseason looking for a new team and sent Tom Brady Instagram DMs about joining the Bucs. So it is obviously surprising to see him call it quits soon after arriving in Tampa. Beasley being separated from his Texas-stationed family led to this retirement call, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets.

Other teams besides the Bucs expressed interest in Beasley. The Commanders, Giants and Panthers pursued Beasley since his Bills release, but the Bucs — dealing with a wide receiver shortage at the time — won out. Beasley caught four passes for 17 yards during his two-game Bucs cameo. The team’s receiver situation has improved as well, which likely would have meant less time for Beasley going forward. Mike Evans re-emerged after his one-game suspension, and injured wideouts Chris Godwin and Julio Jones played against the Chiefs on Sunday night.

Beasley will certainly be better remembered for his time in Dallas and Buffalo. The Cowboys put the SMU product to work as their primary slot receiver for most of the 2010s, with Beasley being the team’s top receiving constant outside of Dez Bryant during that period. The Cowboys extended Beasley on a four-year, $13.6MM deal in March 2015 and saw him produce career-best (at the time) numbers a year later to help Dak Prescott earn Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim during a 13-3 season. Beasley caught 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns that year.

As Dallas’ Bryant partnership came to an end following the 2017 season, Beasley remained in place as the team transitioned to its Amari Cooper-fronted attack. Preparing for a Cooper payday, the Cowboys let Beasley walk in 2019. Eager to upgrade Josh Allen‘s receiver situation, the Bills paid up for Beasley (four years, $29MM) and John Brown that year. While the latter topped 1,000 yards in 2019, Beasley played a pivotal role in aiding Allen as well. From 2019-20, Beasley totaled 1,471 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, transitioning to a role as Stefon Diggs‘ sidekick when the Bills swung their blockbuster trade with the Vikings in 2020.

Last season did not bring as much success, and Beasley became a controversial figure as he spoke out regularly against COVID-19 vaccines. Beasley matched his 82 catches from 2020 but checked in at a career-low 8.5 yards per reception. Beasley contracted COVID in December and missed a game, joining many thrust into that position during the pandemic, and the Bills made him a cap casualty ahead of the 2022 league year. The Bills moved on with younger receivers, and Beasley’s retirement further reduces the number of 30-something wideouts left in the NFL. Fellow 2021 Bills contributor Emmanuel Sanders, 35, preceded Beasley by retiring a few weeks ago.

Beasley will wrap his career as one of this era’s top slot targets. For his career, Beasley caught 554 passes for 5,726 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/22

October 1st, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league, including practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s action:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

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