When he joined the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of SMU, receiver Cole Beasley was viewed by most as little more than an afterthought, an undersized local kid who perhaps had overachieved in college enough to earn a courtesy tryout with the local professional team.

Relegated to life as a slot receiver in his first two NFL seasons, former SMU receiver Cole Beasley is expected to also play outside receiver in 2014 (photo by Dallas Cowboys PR).

Now, with a pair of professional seasons on his résumé, Beasley no longer can be viewed as any kind of novelty act, having earned the trust of Dallas head coach Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo with his precise routes, sure hands and ability to find holes in opposing defenses.

In 2014, Beasley’s role should play an even bigger role for the Cowboys. When the team cur veteran wideout Miles Austin in what amounted to a salary dump, Beasley became the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver, behind (high draft picks) Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.

The newly-married Beasley insists he is not guaranteed a roster spot in 2014, but it would be shocking if he didn’t make it. The Cowboys carried five or six active receivers last season, and after Bryant, Williams and Beasley, the Dallas wideouts are unproven. Nevertheless, he insists that his approach this offseason is the same as it was when he was fighting just to catch the coaches’ attention while toiling among a throng of rookies and NFL retreads.

“To me, there’s a little more at stake (with his new family) now than there was then,” Beasley said after one of the Cowboys’ recent OTA practices. “I don’t feel an added pressure, because I’ll always feel pressure. I’ll always be the guy who wasn’t drafted, or the guy who isn’t big enough.to make it. If I keep looking at it that way, I’ll keep giving myself a chance.

“Whether I think I made the team or not, I don’t approach it that way. I wasn’t a high draft choice. Honestly, if you’re a first-round draft choice, you don’t have a lot to worry about — you’ve got the talent, and teams invest so much in you, you’re going to make the team. I’ll never have that, and in a way, it’s a good thing. I never felt like I made it. I know I can play, and I feel like (the Dallas coaches) know I can play, so I have confidence. But the facts are that I’m still a 5-foot-8 wide receiver in a league where teams want most of their receivers to be 6-2 or 6-4. The odds are always going to be against me.”

Because of his diminutive frame, Beasley is as aware of even the slightest change in his body. He said he now weighs 180 pounds … which he thinks is a little more than he should weigh.

“I’m 180 now, and really, that’s too big,” he said. “I don’t feel like I get the same push off, or explode like I do at 175 or 178. That’s where I should be: 178. That’s where I feel my best.”

Beasley acknowledged that Austin’s departure — shortly after getting cut by the Cowboys, Austin signed with the Cleveland Browns — might have improved Beasley’s spot in the pecking order among Dallas receivers, but said he already misses his former teammate.

“It’s a game, but at the same time, there’s a big business aspect to what we do,” Beasley said. “Miles is a great dude. We didn’t hang out that much outside of (the team’s training facility in nearby Valley Ranch), but I love Miles, and I was sad to see him go. Even after he signed his (six-year, $54 million) contract, he was never too big-time. He was an undrafted free agent, too, and he never forgot that. You always appreciate when someone remembers the work he put in to make it, and doesn’t change after he’s successful.”

While Austin’s exit means Beasley lost an on-field mentor, the upcoming season will be his first since 2010 in which he will have the same position coach. At SMU, he worked under receivers coaches Jeff Reinebold and Jason Phillips. In his rookie season, Jimmy Robinson coached the Dallas receivers before giving way last year to former Tennessee head coach (and SMU receivers coach) Derek Dooley.

“(Dooley) is different than Jimmy Robinson,” Beasley said. “They have different perspectives. When he got here last year, he had to get to know us as much as we had to get to know him. Now, he has gotten to the point where he knows what every guy does (well). He knows that my release is different than Dez’s, and not just because he’s bigger. He coaches to our strengths, and I think you’ll really see that pay off this year. He knows we don’t all do things the same way — he knows Dez is more physical, and I’m the quicker guy, and T-Dub (Williams) is the speed guy, He understands what we each do well, and which routes we each run most effectively. He coaches to our strengths.”

While Dooley and the Dallas coaches will continue to tailor their offense to fit the strengths of their players, they also are giving their smallest receiver a bigger role, moving Beasley to an outside receiver position in certain situations.

“My rookie year, they put me in the slot and just said. ‘go here and get open,’” Beasley said. “My option route was five yards. That was it.

“Last year, they gave me more, and now, they’re giving me a lot more. I lived in the slot the last two years, because we had T-Dub and Dez outside. They’re still there, obviously, but I understand the concepts (of playing outside) and I always want to learn more. If I’m in there with those two guys and we can mix it up — move one of them into the slot and me outside — and (Romo) is comfortable with it, it gives the defense another look to worry about.”

Beasley, who had 39 receptions for 368 yards and a pair of touchdown catches in 14 games last season after grabbing 15 passes (and no touchdowns) in 10 games during his rookie season in 2012, said his expanded role should allow him to come off the field less, thereby increasing his chance to contribute to the offense.

“That’s my focus, being in there on more than just the damn option routes,” he said. “A hundred twenty snaps (which Beasley had in 2013) might sound like a lot to some people, but it’s not — I can do a lot more.

“Most of that came when Miles got hurt, and I went in for him. You never want anyone to get hurt, but those three games gave me a chance to learn more.”

Beasley compared the learning process that comes with his expanded role to the transition he made at SMU after starring at quarterback in high school.

“It’s pretty much how I was at SMU, too,” he said. “I was totally new to playing receiver. By the end of my sophomore year, I felt like I was starting to get it. I started to learn the outside receiver spot (in the Dallas offense) last year, and now, I’m starting to get it here, too.”

How fast Beasley sees an expanded role during games remains to be seen, but if nothing else, his versatility on offense and on special teams only increases his value to the Cowboys, and improves his chances of extending his career.

“I have one of the best jobs in the world,” Beasley said. “I know I wouldn’t like to go sit behind a desk, typing on a computer from 7-5 every day. Working out and playing football are what I like doing. Even though it’s a job now, I’m still lucky to be doing what I love to do.”