Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant credits three players who are no longer with the team with helping prepare him to become a leader.
The Cowboys’ all-time sack leader DeMarcus Ware was released by Dallas in a cost-cutting move this offseason, and went to Denver to join the reigning AFC Champs; Jason Hatcher, an unrestricted free agent followed the big money to Washington, where he’ll join the hated Redskins; and Miles Austin, after being designated a June 1 cut by the Cowboys, found a new home in Cleveland.
Bryant will have to step up as a leader with these veterans gone and, thanks to these same veterans, he believes he’s ready to take on the role.
“You’ve got to give credit to those guys you just named, Hatcher, Miles and Ware,” Bryant told the team’s official website last week. “That’s where it started from. Like I said, I was a guy that’s trying to build and see how you do it the right way, and that’s exactly what I took from them. Add it to what I already knew, and me being a passionate player, trying to control that as well and be a great teammate to my friends and my family."
“I just try to let that stuff build and roll over and see what happens. I honestly feel like we’re all feeding off one another and making each other better, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do and see what happens.”
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