Background and career
Cole Dickson Beasley (born April 26, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the SMU Mustangs and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Beasley also played three seasons for the Buffalo Bills before retiring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. He came out of retirement a few months later in the season to re-sign with the Bills.
Beasley attended Little Elm High School, where he was an option quarterback, leading the Lobos to the Texas UIL-4A playoffs in consecutive years. Among his teammates at Little Elm was Trevante Rhodes. Beasley was a district co-MVP, posting 1,184 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 1,570 passing yards, and 12 touchdowns. He was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.
Beasley accepted a scholarship from Southern Methodist University, where he was converted into a wide receiver, playing in 11 games with seven starts as a freshman, while finishing third on the team with 42 receptions for 366 yards and three touchdowns. As a sophomore, Beasley started seven games, making 40 receptions (fourth on the team) for 493 yards and three touchdowns. SMU would win the 2009 Hawaii Bowl marking their first bowl invitation since the so-called death penalty. As a junior, Beasley posted 87 receptions (second for a single-season in school history), 1,060 yards and six touchdowns. As a senior, Beasley registered 86 receptions for 1,040 yards (second on the team) and two touchdowns.
Beasley went undrafted in the 2012 NFL draft due to his size and was signed by his hometown team, the Dallas Cowboys. Beasley left abruptly during training camp, stating he was dealing with "personal stuff", and even considered retiring from professional football. Beasley went on to have a sudden change of heart, returning and making the final 53-man roster. Beasley finished his rookie year with 15 receptions for 128 yards in 10 games and no starts.
Beasley found ways to be productive while being surrounded by a solid corps of wide receivers, having the highest completion percentage of any receiver in the NFL with more than 10 targets. He was targeted by quarterback Tony Romo on third down, especially in spread formations. Much of this became attributed to Beasley's very good route running. Beasley finished his second professional season with 39 receptions for 368 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 79 return yards in 14 games and three starts.
In 2014, Beasley posted 37 receptions (fourth on the team) for 420 yards (fourth on the team) and four touchdowns in 16 games and two starts. He averaged nearly 50 yards per game during the final six contests of the season. During the Wild Card Round against the Detroit Lions, Beasley made four catches – three for first downs- for 63 yards and recovered a fumble in the 24–20 victory.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
