Dez Bryant is done in Dallas, putting the three-time Pro Bowler on the open market less than two weeks before the NFL Draft.
At 29 years old, Bryant's play has declined precipitously, and he hasn't cleared 900 receiving yards in the past three seasons. Despite the drop in production and persistent questions over the years about his sideline demeanor, Bryant should find a healthy market, for the right price.
Let's dive into 10 hypothetical landing spots where the ex-Cowboys receiver could be throwing up the X in 2018:
1. Washington Redskins
Never underestimate rivalry. Surely the Redskins would love to snag their division opponent's former top target and deploy him twice a year against Dallas. Bryant could revel in facing the team that cut him to try to prove it was the wrong decision. It wouldn't be a surprise if team owner Daniel Snyder opens the pocketbook to offer Dez the most money on the open market. Oh, and how fun would it be for former enemies, Bryant and Josh Norman, to hook up with the same team?
2. San Francisco 49ers
Dez's best attribute at this stage of his career is his red-zone acumen. Too often last season once Jimmy Garoppolo took over, San Francisco stalled in scoring position. The 49ers could use a big touchdown target for Jimmy G, which makes San Francisco a logical landing spot for Bryant, on paper. Deploying Bryant alongside Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor would give Kyle Shanahan flexible chess pieces to play with.
3. Baltimore Ravens
Ozzie Newsome already added Michael Crabtree and John Brown to his receiving corps, but signing Bryant would provide pop for Joe Flacco. Breshad Perriman's injury history necessitates the Ravens continue to search for depth. Dez would bring more than that. He would provide a red-zone combination alongside Crabtree that would make life immensely easier for Flacco.
4. Houston Texans
The Texans snagging a star player from their in-state rival would be icing on the cake. Bryant heading to Houston would also make on-field sense. Playing alongside DeAndre Hopkins would take pressure off Bryant and allow him more one-on-one matchup on the opposite side. Imagine trying to defend Hopkins and Bryant in the end zone. It would also buffer the options for young quarterback Deshaun Watson. After upgrading the defense with one star castoff, Tyrann Mathieu, Houston could add another in Bryant.
5. Seattle Seahawks
Adding a player like Bryant would further the Seahawks' attempt to remake their roster in Russell Wilson's image. Dez could fit alongside slot receiver Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett as Wilson's primary targets. Bryant's red-zone acumen would also make up for the loss of tight end Jimmy Graham. We know coach Pete Carroll doesn't shy away from adding big personalities to his locker room.
6. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals might not be an obvious landing spot, but Arizona still has a need at receiver. The main reason I want the Cards on this list is for the possibility of Bryant working with Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzy has magnificently stiff-armed father time, morphing his game as he aged. It's something many analysts have said Dez needs to do as he reaches 30. Fitzgerald has even been mentioned as an example Bryant needs to follow. What if he could work every day with the master himself?
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags let Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns walk in free agency, deciding to ride younger players Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole and give Donte Moncrief a surprising contract. On paper, adding Bryant would boost the underneath game for Blake Bortles and provide a red-zone target for a team that relies heavily on Leonard Fournette near the goal line.
8. New York Giants
Signing Bryant doesn't feel like a Dave Gettleman move, but swapping Brandon Marshall for Dez would be an upgrade alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. Adding Bryant would further signify the Giants' intentions to try to pry open the Eli Manning era. There's also that in-division rivalry aspect to keep in mind.
9. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers attempted to get faster at receiver last season by trading away Kelvin Benjamin to mixed results. Importing Bryant would halt that plan, but provide Cam Newton a big-bodied pass-catcher to snag his high throws. New GM Marty Hurney feels more likely to take a risk on importing a personality like Bryant than his predecessor, Gettleman. Also, the Panthers host the Cowboys in 2018, if, you know, Dez needs that revenge factor.
10. New England Patriots
It's written in stone on The Internet Sports Writing Ten Commandments tablets that every big-name player must be linked to the Patriots. Does New England need to add another receiver to its glut of pass-catchers? No. Does Bryant's personality seem to fit with the Patriot Way? Not really. Would coach Bill Belichick pay the kind of money it could take to lure Dez to Foxborough? Unlikely. Does any of that matter when we are conjuring up connect-the-dot reasons a player might sign with one of 31 franchises? Nope.
Dez Bryant believes his rather abrupt release from the Dallas Cowboys was partly the culmination of players and coaches on Jason Garrett's staff who wanted him gone.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with NFL Network's Jane Slater on NFL Total Access, the wide receiver blamed "Garrett guys" for spearheading the Cowboys' decision to end his eight-year career with the team.
"I'll say this right here: I believe that 'Garrett guys' [are to blame]. I would say that," he said in response to a question from Slater on the idea that some teammates had a role in the decision to release him.
Bryant wouldn't say who the "Garrett guys" are, but he was irked at not being selected as a team captain last season. Dak Prescott, Jason Witten, Sean Lee, Dan Bailey, Tyrone Crawford and Orlando Scandrick (now with Redskins) each served as captains in 2017.
"I won't put no names out, but they know, and I want them to know I know," Bryant said. "I'll shoot them a text message and let them know. Little do they know is, you know, they can wear that 'C' all they want to, but in that locker room ... they know who they communicate with. Everybody knows where the real love is at. I'm not throwing anybody under the bus, but that's the difference between me and them."
Bryant said he believes it was difficult for team owner Jerry Jones to release him. However, he feels there were other forces within the Cowboys' organization that ultimately were pushing for him to be cut.
"Jerry Jones, he loved me to death and I loved him too," Bryant said. "I honestly believe in my heart that this was a hard decision for him. But when it's five, six guys at a table against one guy, you got to do it.
"... It was an unfair situation because if they wanted to get rid of me, they could have told me that. ... I would have respected it."
Bryant said he wanted to stay in Dallas, but his expensive contract and declining play jeopardized his status within the team all offseason. The 29-year-old was due $12.5 million base salary in 2018 and was set to cost $16.5 million against the salary cap. Even though he stated publicly all offseason that he held no intentions of taking a pay cut, Bryant said he changed his stance.
When asked if he was willing to take a pay reduction, Bryant responded, "Yeah, if it was offered.
"The only question I was going to have for that was: Even if I did take a pay cut, am I going to be able to come in to work and be happy? Will I be able to enjoy it? Because I already got a feeling that this person don't like me, this person don't like me."
Here are some other topics Bryant touched on during his interview with Slater:
Bryant wants to play for an NFC East team: "I won't say any teams, but being in the division, that's a huge possibility. That's a huge possibility. That's something that I want. ... It's personal. Like I said, it's very personal. I already had a plan of training and getting my mind right. I just want to do it that much more."
On not understanding why he wasn't named a Cowboys team captain: "I think me not being named a team captain was mostly on a personal level. I'm just going to be honest because I don't understand why I wouldn't be a team captain. Like I said, you've seen my teammates, you know? They don't even understand the decision.
"If I was to go interview those staff workers, what else would they tell you? We love his energy. I'm me. I'm being exactly who I am. If I ever had a problem with anybody, then I'll address it. If I said something about this person, I guarantee you I already said it to this person. It's like I'm just not that type of guy. I'm about respect. ... I care about every guy in that locker room and nobody in that locker room can say that I don't, and I'm pretty sure they won't say that."
On wanting to prove people wrong: "I'm just tired of being a scapegoat, tired of all of it. I'm a real guy. I'm a real guy and I just want to prove and I'm going to continue to keep proving that on and off of the field. Like I said, when you do wrong to people, nothing good happens on the other end. I don't care how great it looks on the outside. It's all about what it is on the inside. ... I come from dirt, so I got strong belief and I got strong faith. So it is what it is."
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Dez Bryant, the Dallas Cowboys’ fiery star receiver, was released on Friday.
“This was not an easy decision,” the team’s owner, Jerry Jones, said in a statement with few specifics. “It was made based upon doing what we believe is in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Ultimately, we determined it was time to go in a new direction.”
Bryant, 29, is a passionate player known for highlight-reel catches. He was active on Twitter in the aftermath of the decision, saying: “Cowboy Nation, I need you to know this wasn’t my decision. I will always love y’all. Forever Dallas in my heart.”
He also implied that he might be looking to sign as a free agent with an N.F.L. team in the N.F.C. East, saying he hoped to play against the Cowboys twice a season.
The decision was announced after a meeting between Bryant and Jones on Friday.
Bryant’s release will save Dallas $8 million in valuable salary cap room. He was due to make a base salary of $12 million for the 2018 season.
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A first-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State, Bryant is a three-time Pro Bowl player who spent eight seasons in Dallas. He led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2014. After a season in which he was limited by injuries, he bounced back in 2016, and last season he played every game and finished with 838 yards and six touchdowns, both team bests. But he also was among the league leaders in drops, with six.
He was at the center of a controversy in the 2014 playoffs against the Green Bay Packers when he appeared to catch a fourth-down pass near the end zone late in the close game. But after a review, it was ruled that he failed to control the ball after he landed on the ground, part of the N.F.L.’s long disputed catch rule. The Cowboys lost the game and were eliminated.
