If anyone knows a little about sticking it to your old team, it if personable former Dallas Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley, who left Dallas after seven seasons to play for the Bills in 2019. But to show there are no hard feelings, Easley is doing some campaigning on behalf of the Cowboys, hoping to help them sort out their wayward running game by recruiting the top running back on the free-agent market: Giants star Saquon Barkley.
Writing on Twitter/X, Beasley posted this week: “@saquon I need you to go to Dallas. Getting to run it up on your old team who disrespected you is rejuvenating. Lol”
Beasley, who was briefly with the Giants this year, has experience on this front. He was a steady slot man for Dallas who put up solid, consistent production for his entire seven seasons there, but left because he was not getting the role in the offense he felt he should have. Oh, and money. He left because Buffalo gave him four years and $29 million, and the Cowboys were not going to match that.
It was Beasley’s good fortune that the Bills played in Dallas in Week 13 the year he left. And he left a stark reminder of what he could do: Beasley had 110 yards and a touchdown on six receptions in a Bills win, one of the best games of his NFL career.
Cowboys Saquon Barkley Signing Would Mean 2 Giants Games Per Year
If Barkley wanted to use his upcoming free agency to exact revenge on his former team, well, the Cowboys would be the ideal landing spot. Not only is incumbent starting running back Tony Pollard a free agent after a disappointing season, but Barkley would get to see the Giants twice a year.
@saquon I need you to go to Dallas. Getting to run it up on your old team who disrespected you is rejuvenating. lol
— Cole Beasley (@Bease11) January 26, 2024
There would be some risk on the Cowboys’ part in taking on Barkley, but he is not expected to be too costly. And the upside is significant.
Barkley was a Pro Bowl running back in 2022, but slipped in 2023 as the Giants’ offense sputtered. He fought his way through an ankle injury that cost him three games and slowed him down for longer. He finished the year with 962 yards on 247 carries, and posted an average of only 3.9 yards per carry. Those numbers could scare off other suitors, but the Cowboys should recognize that Barkley could be in line for a bounce-back year.
The analysis site 33rd Team has Barkley rated the top running back in the upcoming free-agent market. On Barkley, it wrote:
“Saquon Barkley will turn 27 next month and has had several significant injuries. Since the 2020 season, Barkley is averaging just 4.0 yards per carry. A lot of that has to do with the New York Giants’ offensive line, but he isn’t going to get more explosive as he ages. Barkley still is a dynamic weapon in the open field and is someone defenses need to account for on every play. But the days of him being a top-5 running back in the NFL are probably over.”
Running Back Market Still in Flux
Still, he would make a good fit in Dallas, behind one of the league’s better offensive lines. He will not break the bank, either, as the running back market has gone into significant financial decline in the last few years, with no end in sight.
Barkley is projected at Spotrac to have a market value of $6.6 million per year, and projected to garner a three-year, $20 million contract. That’s well within the budget of even a cap-strapped team like Dallas. If that’s the market, then an aggressive push makes sense for the Cowboys.
Pro Football Focus is a little more bullish on the running back market in free agency and is projecting a two-year deal worth $22 million for Barkley. That might put him out of reach in Dallas.
