Bills sign WR Cole Beasley to the practice squad

It was reported early Tuesday morning that free agent wide receiver Cole Beasley has signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad.

Per Louie Del Rio of News 4 Buffalo, Josh Allen was said to have wanted Beasley back and went directly to Brandon Beane to ask him for it. This was brought to the attention of the entire team and no one opposed it. Allen wanted his old slot guy, and he got him. This comes shortly after the team brought back WR John “Smoke” Brown, another of Allen’s past favorite targets.

The move to add Beasley should add a much needed reliable slot presence to the team. Something that the Bills have really been missing all year.

The team had hoped that Isaiah McKenzie would be the guy to take over the slot role this year once Crowder went down, but after some inconsistent play, it’s clear that more reliability was needed. Beasley now returns for the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs.

In his three years in Buffalo, Beasley had 231 total catches, 2,438 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished second with most receptions from the slot last year, only behind All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp (per PFF).

It’s very clear that the Bills have missed Beasley’s presence this year. It also says a lot about what the team thinks of the offense right now. In the first seven games, Josh Allen had six games with two or more pass TDs. In the last six games, he’s had just two such games. Whether that’s from his lingering elbow injury, offensive line struggles, play calling, or receivers not doing their jobs, it’s clear an added weapon was needed. Here’s a look at their passing yardage throughout this season:

Before retiring this year, Beasley signed with the Buccaneers and played in just two games (Week 3 & 4). In those two games, Beasley had 4 catches for 17 yards on 5 total targets and just 13 total snaps.

The hope for Buffalo is that Beasley is fully healthy and ready to go. He already has the chemistry and rapport established with Allen and Ken Dorsey and hopefully he can come in and make an immediate impact.

The Bills don’t need 6+ catches for 80 yards a game from Cole. They simply need him to come in and be efficient. Sit down in the zone and give Allen a safe option to throw to. A handful of catches per game that move the sticks is what Beane brought him back for. In turn, this move should really help a lot of the other receivers on the team as well.

It would be awesome for Beasley to be able to come and play in the big game on Saturday night against the Dolphins, so we’ll have to see how he does throughout a week of practice.

Nevertheless, Beasley is back and let’s hope the offense can get into more of a groove moving forward.