Should the Cowboys make Roddy White blue and silver?
In Week 1, the Dallas Cowboys had over 350 total yards. Dez Bryant made five catches from seven targets and averaged just under ten yards per reception. It wasn’t a flashy game for Dez by any stretch, but he contributed.
Since the absence of #88 due to a broken foot, the Cowboys are averaging around 230 passing yards per game. Jason Witten has put up an average of 60 receiving yards per game and Lance Dunbar has contributed just shy of 50. With Dunbar now ruled out for the year the Cowboys have several games to get through before Dez returns to the team, and they’re lacking a receiving threat.
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On his day, Terrance Williams can look like a number one receiver. But his tendency to blow hot and cold has hampered him all career. His numbers may average out to make him appear to be a consistent number two but that isn’t necessarily the case.
Cole Beasley is a dangerous weapon, able to allude teams bursting out of the slot. While the addition of Brice Butler gave Brandon Weeden a speed option in his armory. Butler showed what he was capable of with a 67 yard reception against New Orleans Saints but an injury could restrict him for Week 5.
Over the years, Jerry Jones has shown he’s not afraid to wheel and deal when his team requires it. And even in recent seasons we’ve seen Jason Garrett, Stephen Jones and Will McClay collude to bring in players from elsewhere. Could they turn to veteran four-time Pro Bowler Roddy White?
Now in his eleventh season of the league, all of which have been with the Falcons, Roddy has surpassed the 10,000 yard mark. In 159 games, he’s had 771 receptions for 10,449 yards and 62 touchdowns.
Roddy White leads Falcons WRs this season w/ 235 snaps but has only been targeted 13 times. He has caught only 6 of those targets.
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) October 7, 2015
The 33 year old is 33rd in all-time career receptions with 771, and among current players he sits in the top ten for receiving yards. Despite all this, rumor has it that he’s not happy with his role in the 4-0 Falcons offense.
"“I’ve contributed to offenses for this franchise for the last nine, 10 years. It always bothers me when I go out and don’t catch any balls in a game because it hasn’t happened in so long. For me, at the end of the day, I want to catch passes. I’m not out here just f***ing around just to sit around to just block f***ing people all day. It’s not what I want to do.”"
The tape shows that the lack of targets isn’t due to poor play on White’s part. However, without Tony Romo pulling the strings in the Cowboys offense, there’s no guarantee that Roddy would come in and be the dynamic receiver that the team could do with. The coaches have been holding Weeden back, looking at short slants as opposed to unleashing the former pitcher’s arm with deep targets.
Whether the Falcon’s are willing to talk trade for their veteran receiver remains to be seen, least of all whether the Cowboys would be interested. For now it’s just a theory. Jeremy Mincey was considered a relative no name, boring addition to the roster when the Cowboys signed him in 2014 yet he’s developed into a crucial leader both on the field and in the locker room. Could the Falcons wide receiver do the same?