A seasoned wide receiver is being let go by the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyron Billy-Johnson, 28, was dismissed by the Cowboys as part of their early roster cuts on August 26 before the deadline of August 27 at 4 p.m. Eastern time, according to a report by Jon Machota of The Athletic on August 26.
Billy-Johnson is one of four receivers among the 15 early roster cuts Dallas made in an attempt to reduce their roster to 53 players. Cam Johnson, Deontay Burnett, and David Durden are the other receivers who were cut.
The six-foot-one In 2019, Billy-Johnson became the first undrafted free agent to sign with the NFL. He eventually made his NFL debut with the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 season after signing with several teams in 2019 without playing a single game. Billy-Johnson made his debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and immediately made an impression by grabbing a 53-yard touchdown pass. After 12 games, he ended his first season with 20 receptions for 398 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. In the games that he played in, he actually saw 31% of the offensive snaps.
As reported by Randy Gurzi of Sports Illustrated, Billy-Johnson was really getting first-team reps in the early days of training camp because of CeeDee Lamb’s contract stalemate.
Gurzi writes, “He also got to work with the first team and earned the trust of Dak Prescott, who at one point hit him deep with Donovan Wilson and Nahshon Wright in coverage.”
Billy-Johnson stands out for his speed, which might have been used in an offense that didn’t have many deep-ball threats. As his career has developed, wideout Brandin Cooks has emerged as a more possession option, with tight end Jake Ferguson serving mostly as a short-yardage safety blanket. Lamb is relied upon as the primary receiver.
In May 2024, co-host of “Locked on Cowboys,” Landon McCool, remarked of Billy-Johnson, “His speed is outrageous.” “He moves so quickly it’s absurd.” I promise you, it doesn’t even come close to describing how fast he plays. On his NFL pro day, he ran a 4.36. That’s the reason he keeps getting shots even though he hasn’t produced much in the NFL or college.
Billy-Johnson attended LSU during his college career before moving to Oklahoma State. In his final season in 2018, he recorded a career-high 53 receptions for 845 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns while starting every game.
Despite having only 3 receptions for 24 receiving yards in the last three seasons, the sixth-year wide receiver was regarded as a possible 53-man roster candidate because of his experience and Dallas’ dearth of established depth at the position.
Dallas now has nine receivers on their preseason roster after cutting four receivers. The Cowboys will need to eliminate a few more wide receivers in order to reduce their roster to 53 players before the season begins, given that they will probably start the season with five or six receivers.
