The Dallas Cowboys have been searching all season for the next Laurent Robinson, who took advantages of injuries to Dez Bryant and Miles Austin to have a breakout year. There have been many options for that vacant #3 spot, and none are at all glitzy names.
The Cowboys drafted Danny Coale out of Virginia Tech who likened himself to the great Wes Welker and if true would be a good fit at the slot position for the Cowboys. There also is the local Cole Beasley from SMU who had an impressive 7 receptions for 104 yards against the Chargers.
But this race might belong to one of the more tenured Dallas Cowboys’s wide receiver Kevin Ogletree. Think about that… the only Dallas Cowboys wide receiver whose been with the team longer is Miles Austin.
But Kevin Ogletree has been disappointing compiling just under 300 yards receiving in his career.
And despite Cole Beasley’s more glamorous numbers in the preseason game Ogletree did somethings that were note worthy. He had 4 catches for 60 yards including a contested 35 yard reception against San Diego starting cornerback Quentin Jammer. He also absorbed a big hit on that play which set up the Cowboy’s first touchdown of the preseason and Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones took notice.
“What I liked about Ogletree was, in tight, when it was a collision to get the ball, he made the big catch,” Jones said. “One of the criticisms of him is physically he needs to get better when he has the physically contested ball. I think he’s shown that with that big catch. We know he’s got speed. We know he’s got quickness. I thought he made a statement for himself.”
And Kevin Ogletree did this against the San Diego Chargers first and second team as opposed to Cole Beasley who compiled the majority of his stats in the fourth quarter when the starters were gone and third string was playing.
That kind of 4 catch 60 yards receiving game is what the Cowboys are looking to get out of a third receiver, a quietly productive receiver. It’s almost as if Kevin Ogletree watched Laurent Robinson emerge and thrive in that role last season and something clicked with him this year and he has a new and different drive.
Ogletree drew little interest from NFL teams on the free agent market watched the Cowboys draft Coale, bring in Beasley to add to Raymond Radway and Dwayne Harris in a increasingly crowded wide receiver group.
“This is my life, man, this is how I feed my family,” Ogletree said. “It’s really important to me. You have to approach it seriously, and this is the most serious I’ve been.”
His improvement is showing in training camp so far this year and Tony Romo is taking notice in addition to Jerry Jones.
“Kevin has done a great job and gotten some great work in,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “He’s matured, in a sense. He’s committed himself. I’ve talked to him a number of times. He’s had ability since he’s been here. It takes more than that. It comes down to his ability to take it and make it important each day you walk in.”
Ogletree needs to keep this performance up and be consistent and reliable.
“Kevin has shown flashes for a long time,” Romo said. “It’s just that he needed to make it each day. He’s got to be that guy, he’s got to make it that important. And he’s done that and he’s really come on this offseason and this training camp. I’m glad the production is showing on the field.”
Ogletree might have locked this one down and be primed for a breakout year.