Dallas Cowboys Lucky Whitehead: A story of speed wasted

As one of the fastest guys on the team, we’ve all been waiting to see the Dallas Cowboys throw 50+ yard bombs downfield to receiver Lucky Whitehead.

With training camp around the corner, the Dallas Cowboys storyline will be filled with roster position battles. My always correct and never humble opinion about draft picks remains that players selected in the first three rounds should become starters. By that logic, defensive end Taco Charlton, our first round selection becomes an immediate starter – day one, game one.

Normally, the second and third round selections – cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis – both would become starters later in the season. Fortunately for them, they were selected by a team with immediate vacancies at their positions. After the first three rounds, I believe things get slightly interesting and that’s where my focus will be during training camp.

The fourth round selection of wide receiver Ryan Switzer is an immediate Pirates of the Caribbean style cannon shot across the bow of current wide receiver and punt returner Lucky Whitehead. Special teams work seemed to be Whitehead’s job to lose. Perhaps he fell short of the shadow cast by the legendary specialist Dwayne Harris, who was snatched by the New York Giants.

Harris was a 6^th round pick who also lost out to Whitehead’s other competition – undrafted free agent Cole Beasley. I view selecting Beasley as a double edged sword for the Cowboys front office. The positive is that the best man (in the Cowboys opinion) gets the job. The negative is – if he was that good, why didn’t you draft him?

Beasley got an advantage by becoming a favorite target of former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Romo was also an undrafted free agent who eventually went to four pro bowls while throwing for 34,183 passing yards and 248 touchdowns (11 of which went to Beasley). Of course, if you want to make a sportsbar bet – feel free to predict that every punt kicked to Beasley will be a fair catch.

The question might become – how many slot receivers do the Cowboys want to keep? Currently, there’s Beasley, Whitehead and Switzer fighting for a job. Beasley’s safe, so his backup needs to have “position flex” — able to do punt returns and special teams work. Maybe they keep all three on the roster because it’s doubtful that Switzer clears waivers and gets signed to the practice squad.

This preseason should be fun to watch because I would threaten to cut the first person that does a fair catch. In the end, if the front office does find Whitehead to be disposable, I would be disappointed to see Whitehead released. I can’t be the only person that believes Whitehead has been misused and had an under-utilized role in the Cowboys offense.

As reportedly, one of the fastest guys on the team, I always looked forward to seeing him used as a deep threat. I take that back – deep option – because I want to see him thrown the ball 50+ yards downfield.

So – “Dear offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. I’m aware that the fastest guy on the team should be used for that unstoppable Jet Sweep. You’re very, very creative for adding that – but, before you send Whitehead packing, I have to ask. Can you please have the quarterback throw the ball as far as possible and just tell Whitehead to go catch it? Thanks, one member of Cowboy Nation.”

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