Dallas Cowboys: What to expect from Brice Butler

Dez Bryant may have been hanging out with Jerry Jones, but he’s not the receiver the Dallas Cowboys brought back. What can we expect from Brice Butler’s return?

When Brice Butler left the Dallas Cowboys after the 2017 season, he said some shocking things. First, he claimed he could have produced more than Dez Bryant if given the opportunities Dez had. Second, he said he would only return to Dallas if they named him a starter.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t return. Instead, Butler signed with the Arizona Cardinals but failed to make their 53-man roster.

Now, he’s returning to the Cowboys, which many of us never would have seen coming after he made his proclamations on FS1’s Undisputed.

So, why is it he’s back? Simple, he and Dak Prescott had a great chemistry. For whatever reason, Butler kept being left out of the plans, but when he was on the field, he did produce. In 2018, he recorded 15 receptions for 317 yards and three touchdowns. That was good for an incredibly impressive 21.1 yards per catch.

His best game was a Week 2 win against Arizona where he had 90 yards and a score off two receptions. He then was used sparingly but scored a touchdown in Week 17 that led them to their ninth win.

ALSO READ: Where is Dak Prescott in latest NFL QB Power Rankings?

With all that being said, what can the Cowboys expect from Butler? Well, probably what he provided in 2017 — a player Dak trusts to throw the deep ball to.

In Week 2, Dallas opened the game up with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tavon Austin. It was a beautiful toss by Prescott and helped back the safeties off since it showed he could beat them deep. Butler gives them one other player who can take the top off a defense. And the best part is, he and Prescott have a great rapport — which is an underrated thing.

Just to show how it is when a quarterback and receiver don’t have that, look at the team’s use of tight end Rico Gathers. Twice against the Giants he got open, with one being in the end zone. On both passes Prescott overthrew him.

That could simply be an accuracy issue, or maybe just Prescott not knowing how quickly Gathers can get to the ball, thus he put it out there a bit too far. This kind of issue doesn’t exist between Prescott and Butler. They click and can stretch a defense.

He won’t produce more than Dez did, but that’s not why he’s there. He’s there to make defenses back off and respect the deep ball. His stats may not reflect his worth, but Butler is going to help this offense.