Dallas could use slot by committee at WR
When the Dallas Cowboys went with their three wide receiver formation last year, they could count on Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams outside with Miles Austin working the slot.
This season, they could carry a more varied look and not just because Austin is now with the Cleveland Browns.
Bryant and Williams have taken some turns in the slot. Cole Beasley is continuing his same role of working inside. Rookie Devin Street was used a ton in the slot in college. Dwayne Harris is not taking team snaps as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but he is effective in the slot as well. And while he’s not a receiver, tight end Gavin Escobar has receiver skills.
“It’s still early to really figure out how we’re going to use everybody,” wide receivers coach Derek Dooley said. “I think the biggest thing is giving them a lot of opportunities in a lot of areas and we’ll figure it out in training camp.”
The different strengths of the receivers can prove troublesome for defensive coordinators with what personnel packages they would want to use to defend the Cowboys. Beasley has almost exclusively been used in the slot during the organized team activities open to the media, but Dooley said he has increased his route inventory and will have to play outside. Harris can be a devastating blocker in the slot, which opens up the run and the pass. Escobar showed he can work the seams and his height might be too much for most cornerbacks.
Bryant and Williams are bigger receivers on the inside than most slot corners.
“Every player has strengths, things they do really well and every player has things they don’t do well,” Dooley said. “What’s fun about coaching is using those strengths to your advantage and trying to minimize putting them in positions where they’re not as good. It’s a little bit, ‘Hey, players, go out there and build on your strengths and improve as much as you can on your weakness,' but the coaches, it’s up to use to put them in the right spots so we can feature what they do well.”
