Dallas Cowboys: How will Devin Street contribute in 2015?

By Stephen Forsha | Jun 1, 2015

The Dallas Cowboys are lucky enough to have one of, if not the best wide receiver in the NFL with Dez Bryant on their roster. Even with a top wide receiver on their roster, there has to be other options for quarterback Tony Romo to look for within the offense, and one of those players could be Devin Street.

A rookie this past season, Street from the University of Pittsburgh had very little production for the offense, collecting just two receptions for 18 yards in 2014.

Those two receptions were in the season opener on Sept. 7 against the San Francisco 49ers. Street played in all 16 games but was targeted seven times.

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It is tough to gauge exactly how well of a pro Street can be because at the collegiate level he never had a 1,000-yard season, and just twice he had seasons of at least 800 yards receiving.

His junior season at Pitt saw the wide receiver catch 73 passes for 975 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per reception and five touchdowns. The following and final season of collegiate football for Street saw him catch 51 passes for 854 yards (16.7 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns.

But now we are talking about what can the wide receiver do in the pros, and he must mean something to the Cowboys with them making him a fifth-round choice in 2014. With Bryant not participating in OTAs, it has been a blessing for Street, seeing as he’s had the opportunity to get first-team reps.

Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas quoted Cowboys wide receivers coach Derek Dooley on Street getting more OTA reps:

"“It’s also allowed guys like Devin Street to get in there with the ones and give us a good induction of what he’s capable of doing. It’s more reps, more opportunities for the other guys and that’s the positive of it.”"

Like everyone else, it would be great to see Bryant at OTAs, but again his loss is the gain of Street, and with competition like Cole Beasley and even the newly signed A.J. Jenkins, Street will need to get all the reps he can to show he’s better than the two-reception receiver he was in 2014.

Beasley had 37 receptions last season for 420 yards and four touchdowns as the third wide receiver option for the Cowboys. Jenkins signed this offseason after two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he and the team seemed to never be comfortable with one another.

Then again, the Cowboys might be shifting to more of a running team, even without DeMarco Murray on the roster in ’15. That’s said due to the talented offensive line the franchise has built over the past few seasons, including this offseason with the rookie free agent signing of La’el Collins after he went undrafted after being a first-round projection.

Since the Cowboys and Bryant might be playing a game of chicken with his contract situation this offseason, Street would be smart to take full advantage of any and all extra reps he receives, whether it be the OTAs or even training camp if it comes to that.

Street does have NFL abilities, and for the former fifth-round selection, this seems to be about getting the opportunity. Once he gains that true opportunity, he better do his best with it, because it might not last long. Remember, he does have some solid competition to go against this summer in earning a roster spot on the reigning NFC East champions for the second consecutive season, and that will not be an easy task.

Next: Can A.J. Jenkins revive career with Cowboys?

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