.. and here is why. Dez Bryant has been the focal point of Dallas Cowboys offense for the last eight years. It is hard to imagine America’s Team without him, but today it is a thought that might become a reality.
A few days back Stephen Jones talked about the possibility of cutting Dez. His salary carries the most significant cap hit in 2018, and that’s just one of the reasons why Cowboys are considering moving forward without Bryant. If they release him before June 1st, they will save $8 million. If he’s released post-June 1st, they will save $12 million. The downside of releasing Bryant is that there isn’t a big name wide receiver available in free agency, besides Jarvis Landry. The Dolphins slot receiver will most definitely leave Miami, but he’s more expensive than Dez, and the market is huge for him.
The end of last season marked Dez’s third down year in a row. Before that, he’s had three years with more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those seasons brought him a 5-year $70 million contract.
What every Cowboys fan must be wondering now, is whether can Bryant bounce back after three bad years. Larry Fitzgerald did it, but that doesn’t mean anything for Bryant. There is a work ethic difference between the two, where Larry is a genuine hard-worker, who also possesses safest hands in the NFL. In recent years he has been more often deployed as a slot receiver which also contributed.
Besides a drop in numbers and large salary, another thing that makes Bryant’s comeback as Cowboy less likely is his behavior on the sidelines. The Dallas higher-ups got tired of his sideline tantrums, which Stephen Jones called a ‘distractions’ for the rest of the team. In years before this, these antics of his were contributed towards his passion for the game. These days, this behavior has become unacceptable and is considered harmful to the squad chemistry. The same chemistry which is lacking between Bryant and Prescott.
Is there a chance for Bryant to stay? Yes, there is. But he needs to be willing to take a pay cut. A massive one. He already stated that he’s not willing to do so, but you should expect him to say that. What he will do is another thing. Considering Bryant’s temperament, he probably won’t be a same player after the pay cut. The risk of having Dez on the team with reduced pay is one Cowboys might not be willing to take.
In the past, they didn’t have any issues releasing players that still had quality but were found surplus to requirements. Just look at DeMarcus Ware. He left Cowboys and won a Super Bowl in Denver. Same could happen to Bryant if he goes, and Cowboys are aware of this.
In the end, the talk of Dallas going forward with Dak Prescott is revolving around mantra ‘we need to make the offense more Dak-friendly.’ After two years of them playing together, we can say that Dez is not a Dak friendly receiver, and Cowboys should look for options elsewhere. And, they probably will.
