Dallas

Cowboys Appear to Be Moving on From Dez Bryant

Whether it was Stephen Jones, Jason Garrett or, to some degree, Jerry Jones, the Cowboys have been telling you for weeks they were hardly afraid to contemplate life without Dez Bryant.

Well, they proved it Friday afternoon when they agreed to terms with free agent receiver Allen Hurns on a two-year deal worth as much as $12 million.

A day earlier, the Cowboys signed receiver Deonte Thompson to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.

The Cowboys now have seven receivers under contract: Dez Bryant ($12.5 million), Terance Williams ($3.5), Cole Beasley ($3.25 million), Ryan Switzer ($555,000), Noah Brown ($555,000), Thompson and Hurns.

Somebody’s gotta go; it should be Bryant.

Even if he agrees to a massive pay cut - the one the Cowboys’ front office has been hinting about for weeks - Dallas isn’t keeping seven receivers.

On most Sundays, only five are active and Switzer was exclusively a kick and punt returner for much of the season.

Sports Connection

Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.

Baltimore Orioles honor bridge collapse victims before Opening Day

March Madness: ‘South Carolina is the team to beat' in women's tournament

The reality is the Cowboys have grown weary of Bryant’s petulance and now they’ve made plans to overhaul their receiver core starting with the 29-year-old receiver.

Hurns, 26, is a four-year veteran, who has missed 11 games since 2015. That’s the year, he caught 64 passes for 1,031 yards and 10 touchdowns, which led to a four-year $40 million contract with Jacksonville.

He’s been hampered by injuries the past two years, combining to catch just 74 passes for 961 yards and five touchdowns.

He can play outside and in the slot, and the Cowboys think his ability to catch the ball is his best attribute.

Jacksonville cut him this week, creating an opportunity for Dallas to sign him.

The 29-year-old Thompson is the epitome of a journeyman. The Cowboys are the eight-year veteran’s fourth team, and he spent last year with Chicago and Buffalo.

In Buffalo, he 27 passes for 430 yards, a 15.9 average, in 11 games.

Neither one of these players is as good as Bryant in his prime. The problem, of course, is Bryant isn’t in his prime any more.

Adding two receivers this week should come as no surprise. Don’t forget, the Cowboys were surprised Sammy Watkins picked the Chiefs over the Cowboys during the first couple of days of free agency because the offers were were similar financially.

If Watkins had joined the Cowboys last week, then Dallas would’ve released Bryant then.

Whenever it happens, sooner rather than later is the best guess, they will probably designate him as a post-June 1 cut and save about $12 million against the salary cap.

Bryant has averaged 50 catches for 639 yards and six touchdowns in the three years since he signed a five-year, $70 million deal after the 2014 season.

Last year, he caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns. He hasn’t had a100-yard game in 22 starts.

And he turns 30 in November.

Now, maybe, the Cowboys could deal with all of those negatives if Bryant were the consummate professional, but he’s not.

This isn’t about practice habits or work ethic or staying in shape. He’s beyond reproach, when it comes to that.

This is about showing up on time for treatment, if he shows up at all.

This is about treating folks within the organization with the utmost of respect at all times.

This is about the occasional sideline tantrums and his bad influence on Williams and Beasley whether it’s real or perceived

If he was still averaging 91 catches for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns a lot of these things would not be an issue.

But those days are gone; his act has worn thin and his support has eroded.

Aside from Jerry there’s not many, if any, folks in the front office, coaching or training staff who will fight to keep him on the 2018 roster.

That’s why he’ll be wearing another team’s uniform next season.

Contact Us