Cole Beasley

Beasley went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft because of his size and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys.[16] He left abruptly during training camp, stating he was dealing with "personal stuff", and even considered retiring from professional football. He went on to have a sudden change of heart, returning and making the final 53-man roster.[17] As a rookie, he appeared in ten games and made 15 receptions for 128 receiving yards.[18]

Beasley found ways to be productive while being surrounded by a solid corps of wide receivers, having the highest completion percentage of any receiver in the NFL with more than 10 targets.[19] He was targeted by quarterback Tony Romo on third down, especially in spread formations.[20] Much of this became attributed to Beasley's very good route running.[21] He posted 39 receptions for 368 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. He also returned 10 punts for 68 yards, along with one kickoff for 11 yards.[22]

Beasley posted 37 receptions (fourth on the team), 420 yards (fourth on the team) and four touchdowns. He averaged nearly 50 yards per game during the final six contests of the season.[23] In the Wild Card playoff win against the Detroit Lions, he made four catches – three for first downs- for 63 yards and recovered a critical Romo fumble.[24]

On March 3, the Cowboys signed Beasley for an additional four years, with a total contract value of $13.6 million. With leading receiver Dez Bryant injured for most of the season, he finished with 52 receptions (tied for second on the team) for 537 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns (led the team), while playing with four different starting quarterbacks with varying degrees of knowledge of the team's offense.[25]

At the beginning of the year he was used to fill in as a punt returner, due to his ball security ability. He was eventually replaced by rookie Lucky Whitehead after having poor return averages and a critical muffed punt in a loss against the New York Giants.

Beasley posted career highs in receptions and yards, catching 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns on 98 targets.[26] His 76.5% catch rate ranked second among NFL wide receivers in 2016.[27]

In the 2017 season, Beasley finished with 36 receptions for 314 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[28]

Beasley started the 2018 season with seven receptions for 73 yards in a 16–8 loss to the Carolina Panthers.[29] In Week 6, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had nine receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the 40–7 victory.[30] Overall, he finished with 65 receptions for 672 yards and three touchdowns in the 2018 season.[31] The Cowboys won the NFC East and earned the #4-seed in the NFC Playoffs.[32] In the Wild Card Round against the Seattle Seahawks, Beasley had three receptions for 28 yards in the 24–22 victory.[33] In the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams, he had one reception for 15 yards in the 30–22 loss.[34]

Beasley in a game against the Tennessee Titans

On March 13, 2019, Beasley signed a four-year, $29 million contract with the Buffalo Bills.[35][36] Beasley caught his first touchdown reception with the Bills in a 31–21 Week 6 win over the Miami Dolphins.[37] Against the Dallas Cowboys, his former team, on Thanksgiving Day in Week 13, Beasley finished with 110 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Bills won 26–15.[38] In Week 16 against the New England Patriots, Beasley caught seven passes for 108 yards during the 24–17 loss.[39] Overall, Beasley finished the 2019 season with 67 receptions for 778 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.[40]

Beasley was placed on the active/non-football injury list at the start of training camp on July 29, 2020.[41] He was moved back to the active roster on August 12.[42]

In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, Beasley had six receptions for 100 receiving yards in the 35–32 victory.[43] In Week 7 against the New York Jets, he had 11 receptions for 112 yards in the 18–10 victory.[44] In Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, he had 11 receptions for 109 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown during the 32–30 loss.[45] In Week 12, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Beasley threw a touchdown pass to fellow wide receiver Gabriel Davis on a trick play in the 27–17 victory.[46]

In Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, Beasley recorded nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown during the 34–24 win. [47] In Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, Beasley recorded 8 catches for 112 yards during the 48–19 win.[48] Beasley suffered a knee injury and did not play in Week 17's game against the Miami Dolphins.[49] After setting career-highs with 82 catches and 967 receiving yards, Beasley was named second-team All-Pro.

In Buffalo's Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts, Beasley caught seven passes for 57 yards in Buffalo's 27–24 victory. His seven catches led the team and was a career-high for a playoff game. In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, Beasley recorded 7 catches for 88 yards during the 38–24 loss.[50]

After the season, Beasley revealed he had played through the 2020 playoffs with a partially broken fibula.[51]