Who doesn’t love a good reunion tour? Whether it’s your favorite band getting back together for one last hurrah or the cast of your favorite TV show coming together for a special episode, reunions get people excited. The Dallas Cowboys have already experienced one reunion in 2019 as they brought out of retirement future Hall of Famer Jason Witten. Should they double-down on the comeback tour?
Yesterday, on Twitter former Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver Dez Bryant made it know that he plans to reach out to teams in the next couple weeks as he hopes to make a return to the NFL. Fans of wide receiver-needy teams are already clamoring at the idea of adding the Pro Bowl player to their roster of weaponry.
Though it’s an unlikely proposition, the Dallas Cowboys should consider running it back with their all-time leader in touchdown receptions. As Dez Bryant mentions in his tweet, he’s not expecting to be a starter for whatever team signs him. For the Dallas Cowboys, he’d be no more than the fourth wide receiver on the field and a situational third wide receiver. After a couple of years away, could the Cowboys make it work again?
I think so.
They say time heals all wounds. Now that it’s been more than a year and a half since his release, would the locker room and the coaching staff be willing to bring Dez back and forgive and forget? Bryant’s departure was an emotional one and we’ve all said things we might not have if we weren’t upset or disappointed. I know I have.
One of the biggest issues Dez Bryant had was with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s playcalling. He, Cole Beasley, and Brice Butler all had issues with the predictability of the offense and the way they were deployed. Things are different now with Kellen Moore.
When Dez was with the Cowboys, he was as vocal a player as you’ll find in the NFL. The team and his teammates chalked it up to passion and as long as he was productive at his price point, the locker room never seemed to have an issue with it. It was only when he struggled a bit with injuries and drops in his final year did his price tag, and the checks he wrote with his mouth, were no longer as valuable to the Dallas Cowboys.
It already appears that Dez is taking a humble approach to his search for a new team. Making it clear he doesn’t expect to be a starter wherever he lands is a big difference than what we were talking about after the release when he shunned offers from the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints because he expected more money and a longer-term contract. On a short-term deal, Bryant would have everything to gain by joining a team and being a good soldier with whatever organization he joins for the simple fact that for the rest of 2019, he’d be playing for his next contract.
Sure, Dez has been a vocal player, but that’s never stopped the Dallas Cowboys from attempting to make their team better.
Recently, we’ve seen the Dallas Cowboys take on players that have been vocal or socially active during the anthem, like Robert Quinn and Michael Bennett have been. They brought those guys in because whether or not the front office was down with the way they brought light to an issue in the United States, they were players that could help the Dallas Cowboys.
As the fourth wide receiver, could Dez Bryant help the Dallas Cowboys? Absolutely. Though he’s aged and doesn’t have the athleticism he might have once had, he’s still a player that garners respect around the NFL. Even at 75% of his former athleticism, Dez Bryant is still a player that could win contested catches in the red zone and over the middle of the field.
He may not be better than Tavon Austin, Cedrick Wilson, or Devin Smith, but he offers an element that they don’t. Experience.
Dez played big in some big playoff games and made some really important catches against the Green Bay Packers in the 2014 and 2016 divisional-round matchup. Having another weapon that can hurt teams only opens things up for the rest of your offense. Even though he’s not the Dez Bryant of 2012-2014, he’s still a player that can make plays with his physicality and athleticism.
I know it’s a move that has some risks, but you can never have too many good players. You also can’t have enough players that play with a bit of an edge, and Dez Bryant does that. Much like what Ezekiel Elliott brings to the offense with his toughness and physicality, Bryant does the same. His play can inspire and for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, you need players that are willing to fight for every inch.
Lining up in the two-minute drill with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb, and Dez Bryant is so intriguing that if you’re the Dallas Cowboys, you have to at least consider it.
What do you think, should the Dallas Cowboys attempt to bring back Dez Bryant?
