Terrance Williams ready, but Dallas Cowboys know replacing Dez Bryant not easy
IRVING, Texas --- Terrance Williams, the third-year pro who will fill the role of the injured Dez Bryant on Sunday, says he doesn’t feel an ounce of anxiety.
He sees opportunity.
“These are the moments you train for,” said Williams, who will slide into the No. 1 wide receiver slot when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Philadelphia Eagles. “I don’t have any pressure. I just have to stick to my fundamentals and play fast. But there’s no pressure going out there.”
It’s a familiar role for Williams because he played the same role during offseason activities as Bryant sat out in a contract dispute. And Williams had the same responsibility as Bryant sat out much of training camp with an injury.
If there is a silver lining to Bryant’s injury – a broken right foot expected to sideline him at least four to six weeks – it is that others were able to receive more on-field work in his absence in the offseason and training camp.
Cowboys players and coaches agree with that notion. But make no mistake, life without Bryant will be, according to tight end Jason Witten, nothing short of “difficult.”
Bryant is an excellent red-zone player. He has a unique and dynamic skill set that has enabled him to become one of the league’s most potent offensive weapons. He led the league with 16 touchdown receptions and accounted for nearly 33% of the team’s receiving yards last year.
Not to mention that teammates feel his passion is contagious.
“I mean, let’s be honest,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “You are going to miss the guy.”
Added Witten: “You don’t replace a guy like Dez. The way he plays, and his ability to make so many unique plays that not a whole lot of guys can make. It’s challenging, but I think this team embodies ‘next man up.’”
Witten said that Bryant demanded a lot of double coverage and help from the safety, which created openings elsewhere on the field. Now other playmakers will need to emerge without a presence like Bryant on the field to attract extra attention.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly said in a conference call that “it’s always a difficult time when you lose a great player like Dez, but it’s not like they don’t have other really good players there.”
One of Williams’ best attributes is his rapport with quarterback Tony Romo. Linehan said “Tony trusts the heck out of him, and you only get that through experience.”
Williams amassed 736 receiving yards as a rookie but saw that drop to 621 last year. He did provide glimpses of his potential during recent training camp.
“I’ve taken all the necessary steps to continue to be consistent,” Williams said. “This year I tried my best not to be a flash player. I want to be in the right spot when I’m supposed to be there. So when Tony needs someone to throw the ball to, I’m there. I took that to heart.”
Other frequent targets for Romo will be Cole Beasley, who has emerged as a strong slot receiver; Lance Dunbar, the running back who caught eight passes for 70 yards in the season-opening victory against the New York Giants; and of course the veteran Witten, who caught two touchdown passes in the final six minutes against the Giants.
Expect Devin Street and Gavin Escobar to see their roles expand as well. Beasley said it has to be a collective effort now more than ever, adding, “We need every man.”
“The real take is, the guy has to win one-on-one,” Romo said. “That’s your whole job when you’re a skill position player when you get the one-on-one. Look, if you are not consistently winning one-on-one, it’s going to make the game very difficult because that’s where the ball needs to go. Dez obviously wins that matchup 99.9% of the time, so he makes it easy to go to him in the one-on-one situations. So we just need the other guys to step up, win their one-on-one matchups.”
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