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The Cowboys part ways with receiver Tyron Billy-Johnson.

The Dallas Cowboys are parting ways with an experienced wide receiver.

As noted by Jon Machota of The Athletic, the Cowboys are releasing 28-year-old Tyron Billy-Johnson as part of their first roster cuts before cut day on August 27. Billy-Johnson is one of 15 players released early — including one of four receivers — as Dallas looks to trim its roster to 53 players. The other receivers released are David Durden, Deontay Burnett and Cam Johnson.

The 6’1″ Billy-Johnson initially entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019. After being signed by several teams during the 2019 season – without appearing in a game – he finally made his debut with the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2020 season. Billy-Johnson quickly made an impact in his debut, catching a 53-yard touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished his rookie season with 20 receptions for 398 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 12 appearances. In fact, he saw 31% of the offensive snaps in the games in which he appeared.

Although Billy-Johnson has not had the same impact as a pass receiver as he did in his rookie season, he has since appeared in 14 more games for teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, playing primarily on special teams.

Although the sixth-year wide receiver has only three catches for 24 receiving yards over the past three seasons, he was considered a potential candidate for the 53-man roster due to his experience and Dallas’ lack of depth at the position.

Tyron Billy-Johnson had already seen snapshots of the first team at the beginning of the training camp

Due to the absence of CeeDee Lamb, Billy-Johnson was already used in the first team during the first days of training camp, as Randy Gurzi of Sports Illustrated noted.

“He also got to work with the first team and earned the trust of Dak Prescott, who once hit him deep in coverage with Nahshon Wright and Donovan Wilson,” Gurzi writes.

Billy-Johnson’s speed is something that sets him apart and in an offense lacking long ball threats, he could have been used. Lamb is used as the primary receiver, Brandin Cooks has become more of a wide receiver over the course of his career, while tight end Jason Ferguson is more of a short yardage and safety coverage option.

“His speed is unbelievable,” said Locked on Cowboys co-host Landon McCool. “He’s so incredibly fast. At his NFL Pro Day he ran a 4.36 second time and I’m telling you, that’s not even close to his game speed. That’s why, despite his low production in the NFL and in college, he keeps getting opportunities.”

Cowboys will likely cut more wide receivers to reduce their team to 90 players

During his college career, Billy-Johnson played at LSU before transferring to Oklahoma State. In his final season in 2018, he started every game and recorded a career-high 53 catches for 845 yards and seven touchdowns.

With the Cowboys cutting four receivers from their preseason roster, Dallas now has nine receivers left on the roster. With the Cowboys likely starting the season with five or six receivers, they still have a few wideouts to cut as they trim their roster to 53 players before the season begins.

DJ Siddiqi covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Before joining Heavy, he covered the NFL and NBA for Forbes, ClutchPoints, CBS Sports, 24/7 Sports and Bleacher Report. More about DJ Siddiqi