After cutting ties with Dez Bryant and losing Jason Witten to retirement, the Dallas Cowboys' patchwork receiving corps will enter the upcoming season under the media microscope.
A case can be made, however, that quarterback Dak Prescott might actually benefit from the change. As much of an asset as Witten was in his prime, he moved at a glacial speed last season. As unstoppable as Bryant was a few years back, his playmaking ability evaporated over the past couple of years.
The longest-tenured member of the revamped receivers room believes, in fact, that the Cowboys' passing game will be one of the league's most pleasant surprises in 2018.
Appearing on Tuesday's edition of Inside Training Camp Live, NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin relayed a message from the team's veteran slot receiver.
"Cole Beasley told me to tell everybody," Irvin relayed. "He said, Michael, I know everybody is wondering what we will be doing at the wide-receiver position. But I guarantee you we will shock people."
That is a bold proclamation and easier said than done.
When Prescott drops back to pass, his top receiving threats will be the undersized Beasley, Jaguars castoff Allen Hurns, perennial tease Terrance Williams, Rams draft bust Tavon Austin, third-round rookie Michael Gallup and undrafted second-year tight end Blake Jarwin.
After a career year in 2016, Beasley crashed back to Earth last season, operating as one of the least effective slot receivers in the league. Even if he regains his uncanny rapport with his young quarterback, Prescott will still be left throwing to a cast of third and fourth receivers wedged into bigger roles.
The most intriguing wild cards in Prescott's motley crew are Gallup and Jarwin. If this aerial attack is truly going to send shockwaves through the NFL, Gallup must emerge as an impact threat on the outside while Jarwin pulls off a convincing Witten impression between the numbers.
Even in a disappointing 2017 campaign, the Cowboys fell just shy of the playoffs at 9-7. If the receivers back Beasley's boast throughout the season, they can count on playing for higher stakes when January rolls around.
