Williams might be too expensive for the Cowboys to keep
By Charean Williams
cjwilliams@star-telegram.com
INDIANAPOLIS —
The Cowboys would love to keep Terrance Williams as their No. 2 receiver. But he might get more money in free agency than the Cowboys are willing to pay.
“Just got to wait and see,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday. “We really like Terrance Williams. He’s been a really good football player for us. To that point, he’s one of those guys that whenever you give him an opportunity, he comes in and makes a play. He does a lot of dirty work for us, but he’s a guy who makes difference-making plays when he gets chances. We value him a great deal. We’ll see how the free agency plays out for him and for the rest of the guys.”
Two years ago, in the seven games Dez Bryant missed with a right foot injury, Williams showed he isn’t a No. 1 receiver. He caught 25 passes for 468 yards and two touchdowns.
But he has proved a solid option as a No. 2. Williams has never missed a game in his four seasons since the Cowboys made him a third-round pick, making 177 catches for 2,791 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Williams still might cost too much to keep, though.
Last year, Marvin Jones got a five-year, $40 million deal from the Lions last season, Travis Benjamin a four-year, $24 million deal from the Chargers, and Mohamed Sanu a five-year, $32.5 million deal from the Falcons. Williams had better stats his first four seasons than any of those three.
The Cowboys’ fourth receiver, Brice Butler, also becomes an unrestricted free agent next year. They re-signed receivers Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley in 2015, with Bryant getting a five-year, $70 million deal and Beasley a four-year, $13.6 million deal.