Is Dez Washed?

[Iggloo]

The Cowboys are approaching a crossroads on whether to keep Dez Bryant and his $12.5 million salary. Reports suggest they may act soon.

Is Dez done? After all, we have seen glaciers move more quickly than Dez Bryant last season.

Or does he bounce back with another team, one that is not playing a RB at QB? Discuss...

The Cowboys begin their offseason program April 16, and that seems a logical deadline considering any season-ending injury occurring on team premises would guarantee his $12.5 million salary. It also makes sense that Bryant would want to know his status sooner than later.

The Cowboys are expected to ask Bryant to reduce his base salary to lower his salary cap number of $16.5 million for 2018. Bryant, 29, has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2014 and his last 100-yard game was November 13, 2016.

Dallas signed Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson in free agency and still could draft a receiver. The Cowboys have shown interest in Alabama’s Calvin Ridley and SMU’s Courtland Sutton among others.

“I have not met with Dez,” Garrett said at the Cowboys’ Taste of the NFL event. “Dez is on our football team, and again, we talked about some of the moves we made at the receiver position, and they’re designed to create competition there. We think that’s going to help everybody on our team.”

Dez Bryant’s future remains in doubt but decision could come sooner than later

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Dez is definitely not done. He's just like a pitcher working with lesser stuff. Lot of people took dumps on Verlander for instance. Dez still has talent, just a matter of if he puts it back together before his age gets to the point where he really is washed.


Either or, he's not worth the salary.

 

[Rock Strongo]

not washed up, just overrated.

he can contribute still.

 

[Rock Strongo]

also, 27 more TD's and we have to start takiing canton with this guy.

amazing he has 73.

 

[Iggloo]

I happen to think he is done. But either way, Dallas can't pay him this kind of money much longer. He either takes a massive pay cut or is cut.

 

[Iggloo]

Secondary poll, which one of these two men would win a spelling bee? I got Dez on this one.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Secondary poll, which one of these two men would win a spelling bee? I got Dez on this one.

I'd put money on Dez over Bradshaw... Bradshaw probably wears velcro shoes because he forgets how to tie laces properly.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

not washed up, just overrated.

he can contribute still.

This.

He's a baller in the RZ still. But he's not the elite WR1 that he wants to be paid for.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

I don't think so, but I wouldn't be paying him top $ after he suffered pretty substantial injuries in the past 3 years and coming off a somewhat unimpressive season. AJ Green/Julio Jones showed they can rebound after injuries, Dez still needs to show that. I think he can still be productive on the right team and Prescott IMO is a fairly mediocre QB.

That said, his current $14M per is IMO overpaid given he'll be 30 in November, prior injuries, and the fact he is far more of a locker room/motivational issue compared to the other elite receivers. He's fairly close to the same payroll as Julio Jones/AJ Green who also struggle with injury but IMO are better receivers when healthy. The top WR in the NFL gets around $17M at the moment... I'd say Dez is prob. fair around $12M per going forward.

 

[Manster7588]

Not washed up, the team needs to find a way to stretch the field and Dez will be fine. He does need a pay cut though.
If Saud for a few years now he needs to run better short routes and use his body to block defenders like Irvin use to do.

 

[Manster7588]

@Iggloo is hoping and praying he's right.

 

[YankeeRebel]

Washed up and lazy IMO.

 

[rmilia1]

Not sure. There are receivers who have changed their approach as their skills diminish and still been very productive. Others who haven't been able to do so. This year will tell us a lot. If Dez can change he could become a very nice 3 somewhere ( kind if like Anquan Boldin ) , if ge can't he's going to flame out early like Chad Johnson did

 

[Hank Kingsley]

not washed up, just overrated.

he can contribute still.

The right team could utilize him properly.

I don't think Dallas is the right team.

 

[skinzfan]

he's receiving #1WR money and he's no longer a #1WR. Can't blame the Cowboys for not wanting to pay him as much.

 

[mcnabb7542]

Let's face it the whole franchise was washed up when this guy left:

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

I think his welcome in Dallas is over and he moves onto another team and puts up good numbers with a chip on his shoulders.

 

[jarntt]

he's receiving #1WR money and he's no longer a #1WR. Can't blame the Cowboys for not wanting to pay him as much.

The biggest part of the problem is he wasn't even really worthy of being a starter last year, let alone a #1 type WR. He was horrible. A $12.5M salary and a $16.5M cap hit for a WR leaves a big mark if the player isn't elite or at least close to it. Even if he comes in at 75-1,100-8 it's not worth that salary. He had too many drops, plays he left out on the field and times when the ball was forced to him unsuccessfully because he's "Dez" and it hurt the team. He just never seemed to get open on the outside and it was never really with any safety help needed. The worst part was the way he allowed defenders to take him out of the game mentally. He was more focused on being owned (and he was owned weekly, one-on-one on most downs) than he was with the team succeeding. Cole Beasley was doubled way more than Dez. Think about that. Yes Beasley was huge on 3rd downs the year before, but he is a 6-12 yard per play receiver. Not the kind of guy you usually double.

Common sense would have cut him in February and signed a real good player at a position of need with the cap savings. But the question is what will Jerry do? Wait it out one more year to know for sure or get ahead of the curve and risk being wrong? Jerry has always waited as long as he possibly can (usually too long) and Garrett knows he is in trouble if they miss the playoffs this year, so I don't see them cutting him even if he doesn't accept a pay cut. Possibly they will if they go WR in the 1st round, but even then still I'm not sure.

Nothing is going to help Dez unless he turns things around mentally. We can put better WRs around him and get more speed to stretch the field and open it up for him, Witten and Beasley and play him out of the slot or put him in motion to help get him open and he can go see his "route guru"...but none of that means anything unless Dez gets himself mentally ready to play Football. These are the same things we have been saying for years now. He has some TO in him in that his passion is what makes him great at times and his passion is also what hurts his team. The first time he throws a hissy fit Garrett needs to tell him to STFU and go sit down for the rest of the game. I think Dez will be a Cowboy so I am rooting for him to turn it around and I honestly think it's 50/50 - maybe a little below. He doesn't have the physical skill set any longer to be a top 5 WR, but he could be in the top 10-15 range and that will be fine. If not this has to be the last year for him at that contract.

 

[jarntt]

Let's face it the whole franchise was washed up when this guy left:

You just can't replace the great ones...

 

[handicappers]

If Dak is a "RB playing QB" then why does he have a better QBR than Wentz over their first two seasons? Does that make Wentz a RB, too?