The Dallas Cowboys have opened negotiations with first round selection Dez Bryant as of Monday, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
Dallas traditionally plays the waiting game with respect to first round draft picks, allowing other teams to set some sort of precedent with their top picks before beginning talks in earnest, but this year they don't have this luxury. The Cowboys, of course, will report to camp this weekend, a full week before all other teams in the league, and they seem intent on avoiding a holdout.
One could imagine why; Bryant missed all but three games in his final season at Oklahoma State as the result of an NCAA suspension, and he has shown some signs of rust this off-season.
"We won't have as much to go on,'' Stephen Jones said last month, per the DMN. "We usually have a lot more contracts to go off of. That will make it more challenging.''
Bryant is represented by Eugene Parker, an agent with a long-standing relationship with the team. Parker has represented Cowboys from Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders, to Bryant, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones.
None of the NFL's 32 first round picks have signed as of yet.
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