Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys Free Agency: Terrance Williams or Brice Butler?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:08 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tyrone Starr/FanSided via The Landry Hat

With two free agent wide receivers that are very similar, the Dallas Cowboys must likely decide between Brice Butler or Terrance Williams this offseason.

As we near the end of January, there are two divisions in the NFL.

On one side, those in Atlanta and Boston are preparing for the biggest game of the year.

The other side includes thirty teams that are looking towards free agency in 2017.

So here we are, dissecting the in-house free agent options for the Dallas Cowboys.

Sunday, I broke down all twenty-one free agents.

I made the decision on who to let walk versus those that Dallas needs to retain.

From here, we will begin a series of positional decisions as the Cowboys have a few of these scenarios to review.

The discussion for today will center around the wide receiver position.

Should the Dallas Cowboys retain Brice Butler or Terrance Williams?

There is also a sub-decision that we will look into.

Should they keep both or let them both go?

Without any further ado, let’s look at the pros and cons for Brice Butler.

Butler represents possibly the most maddening conundrum for any talent evaluator. At 6’3″ and 215 pounds, he has prototypical size. He also possesses sub-4.4/40 speed. Clearly the kid has natural talent.

The problem lies in the fact that he never seems to know how to maximize his natural abilities. Beyond that, the bigger issue is that this is nothing new.

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Butler was a top recruit coming out of high school, landing himself a scholarship at the University of Southern California.

Unfortunately, even though Butler had the luxury of playing with a quarterback who would be drafted into the NFL, Butler underperformed. In three seasons, he only caught 41 balls for just over 550 yards and 3 touchdowns.

After that, he transferred to San Diego State for one year, finishing college with another pedestrian season.

The talent was enough to get him drafted, however. To his credit, he’s been able to stick around for four years so far, despite never really maximizing his natural gifts.

There is one other issue that shows up when discussing Butler on the field. He is prone to making some mental mistakes that end up costing the team. Several times this season, Butler was flagged for penalties that could be considered pointless.

All in all, the Cowboys must decide if the headache is worth it. In my opinion, if after four years, there has not been anything that indicates things will get better, they probably will never.

If I was making the decisions, I would let Butler walk and develop a younger option like Andy Jones.

If there is a guy that Dallas Cowboys fans love to hate it’s Terrance Williams. Is it unrealistic expectations? Could it be frustration from underachieving? Is it simply him just not really being all that personable?

Whatever the reasoning, it seems like Williams is a lightning rod for the angst and anger of many in Cowboys Nation.

For whatever it’s worth, I get the feeling that those inside the locker room and in the front office see it very differently.

In no way am I intimating that Williams’ return is a lock. There is a very real scenario in which he is playing elsewhere in 2017. I just believe that scenario involves him being overwhelmed financially from another team.

As long as the price is right for Dallas, I believe that that 83 gets another shot on a one or two year deal next season.

Rather than belabor what he is not, it’s probably best to focus on what he is. While he will never be capable of being the lead dog, as the fourth option in the passing game, he is more than acceptable.

Behind Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Cole Beasley, Williams will never put up numbers to blow you away.

The Cowboys strong desire to be a run-first offense does not help him either. Still, his familiarity in the offense and propensity for highlight reel catches at opportune times adds hidden value.

If the deal is right, I would like to see Williams back in 2017. If not, it’s clear that the Cowboys must use a draft pick to develop another option.