Dallas Cowboys: Brice Butler Brings Potential to Receiving Corps
By re-signing Brice Butler, the Dallas Cowboys are putting their faith in him tapping into his potential and contributing in 2017.
When the Dallas Cowboys brought in wide receiver Brice Butler via a trade with the Oakland Raiders in September 2015, there was a lot of hope that Butler only needed a change of scenery to reach the potential he could bring to an NFL team. After parts of two seasons with the Cowboys, Butler has played in 23 games, making five starts and has been targeted just 58 times. In those games, the wide receiver also made 28 receptions for 477 yards, averaging 17.0 yards per reception. Butler has also scored three touchdowns with the Cowboys.
For the Cowboys bringing him back for another season, this is a move that’s smart. But this is it for Butler. This is his make or break season because the potential of becoming an above-average wide receiver in the NFL has to show eventually after playing a total of four NFL season (his first two were with the Oakland Raiders) and 48 games has to become a reality.
Over his entire NFL career, Butler has four starts with 860 total yards receiving, an average of 14.8 yards per reception. He’s totaled five touchdown receptions, and his catch percentage for each season has been 52.9, 60, 46.2 and 50 percent each season.
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Looking back at last season, Butler had a five-catch game against the San Francisco 49ers and caught two passes each against the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. During the final three games of the regular season, Butler was able to make one catch in each of those games.
As for that five-catch game against the 49ers in Week 4, Butler averaged 8.2 yards per reception for 41 total yards. He also had one catch of 14 yards in what was a 24-17 win by the Cowboys. His one touchdown reception that day was a four-yard reception.
One positive for Butler is with the 58 career receptions is that he’s never fumbled. But the real question is, while he’s shown flashes, this new contract is his opportunity to prove that he’s more than just a spot player and situational wide receiver.
Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News wrote in a recent article about Butler and how he can prove what he is worth next season:
"The one-year deal for Butler will give him the chance to show the Cowboys or other teams he’s capable of more, perhaps paving the way for him to sign a long-term deal in 2018."
Butler can most certainly do that in 2017, and the best thing about that is he seems more than capable in terms of his physical tools. At 6-3, 215 pounds, the key for Butler is that one word: potential. He has a lot of it, and with what he’s accomplished thus far in his chances in the NFL, that potential could be realized.
Even if he doesn’t become the No. 2 wide receiver on the Cowboys, Butler does make the wide receiver roster stronger with his presence. And being that it is a one-year deal, Butler will be a highly motivated player who will want to have the best season he can have, that’s even more of a positive for Dallas.
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If Butler goes out and earns a big contract for the 2018 season, that means his play in 2017 was upgraded, so that is a win for not just Butler, but the Cowboys as well.