OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Brice Butler #12 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates a first down in the first quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum on November 20, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Cowboys addressed the absence of Dez Bryant on Tuesday, as they traded for Oakland wide receiver Brice Butler.
It had been expected that Dallas would need to add another receiver, as Bryant is scheduled to miss at least four, if not six or more weeks while he recovers from foot surgery.
To acquire Butler â now starting his third season in the league â the Cowboys essentially swapped 2016 draft picks. If Butler is on the 53-man roster in Dallas for six or more weeks, the Cowboys will exchange their fifth-round draft pick for the Raiders' sixth-round pick.
The move once again gives the Cowboys five healthy receivers, as Butler will join Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Devin Street and Lucky Whitehead on the active roster. The Cowboys also have Vince Mayle and Rodney Smith.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said on Monday that, if the team were to add a receiver from outside the team facility, he was confident the offense would be easy to pick up.
"We do believe we have a player-friendly system where players can learn quickly," Garrett said. "That's a big part of the NFL these days is you want to be able to have a guy, a young player, maybe a guy you drafted, maybe a guy you signed as a college free agent or a veteran player you're bringing in who has no history with you, you want them to be able to come in and learn and learn quickly."
Butler is currently listed at 6-3, 213 pounds, which helps the Cowboys address some of the size they lose without the 6-2, 224-pound Bryant. How quickly he can adapt into the Cowboys' offense remains the big question. He was inactive for the Raiders' Week 1 loss to Cincinnati, but he did appear in 15 games for Oakland last year, tallying 21 receptions for 280 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys have actually faced Butler before. In the 2013 preseason, as a rookie, he recorded two catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
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