Dez Bryant - A Man With No Position

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Streetwise said:
Oh, we're going by last year's roster? What sense does that make?
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Didn't you? When you mentioned "Cooper, Gallup, and Cobb"? Two of whom aren't even on the current roster. Does that "make sense"?
 
superonyx

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Kwyn said:
No, I wouldn’t.

The LB doesn’t cover the slot, they line up over then and tie them up when they try to get off the line. They don’t have to run stride for stride down the field and then get in front of the receiver to break up the pass. That’s not how defenses work

the LB’s job is to jam the slot if they can, then trail the play providing cover in the passing lane between the QB and the slot. It’s a safety or 3rd CB who actually defends the pass

what I am saying is that I doubt Dez is quick enough to avoid that initial jam and not strong enough to fight through it to even get to the part of the play where he is able to get into his route and find open space

LVE or Jaylon are both faster than Dez and both are much, much stronger

I like their odds, and frankly most LB odds against Dez in the slot .

If Dez is going to play it’s going to have to be as a 4th wide receiver, lining up outside, on the line, against a teams 3rd or 4th CB.

  • He can’t play the X - too slow
  • He can’t play the Z - too slow and no quickness
  • He can’t play the slot - too slow and no quickness
the title of the thread was intentional. There is really not a spot in most current NFL offenses for a player with Dez’s skill set other than a 4th or 5th receiver who gets 15-25 targets a year.

He’s be taking Tayvon Austin’s spot, if he were lucky but even that’s unlikely because Tayvon can backuo the X or Y due to his speed and Dez can only backup the X
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If a WR is not quick enough to avoid a big stiff LBer's jam then how would he avoid a young 4th CB's jam at the LOS?

Now if we are talking about a 40 year old WR then I see the point. I believe Dez is 31 maybe? He is a fierce competitor who has great vision and not long ago was the hardest WR in the league to bring down. He demanded doubles against high level CB's. His ball skills are incredible. He is a relatively young man who has had time to heal from his injuries. His ability in the slot would cause defenses to have to account for him in a way that helps the entire offense. He is quick enough to cause LBers fits while being explosive enough and strong enough to give troubles to CB's or safeties. Lets not forget that in this hypothetical he would be on the field with 2 proven WR's in Cooper and Gallup. You can't have enough talent on the field and if an OC can't find a way to use Dez then its the failing of the OC. Defenses would not know breaking the huddle which guy is going to line up where. Even Cooper and Gallup need to be moved around to create uncertainty for the defenses. We have seen enough predictable vanilla offense over the years. Get the playmakers on the field and force the defense to deal with the mental part of the game.
 

CowboysFaninHouston

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5Stars said:
Maybe MM don't need a TE sometimes. He needs a weapon...Dez is one...when the need him.
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why is he weapon? he was slow when he last played. he has been injured and two years out of football. what does he bring to the table? are we going to win the superbowl next year? I seriously doubt it....then if at best we are two years away, what is he going to be two years from now? will he take up a spot from a WR we can develop. he is going to be more distraction with his idiotic tantrum and sideline antics than its worth....
 
G2

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stasheroo said:
Didn't you? When you mentioned "Cooper, Gallup, and Cobb"? Two of whom aren't even on the current roster. Does that "make sense"?
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They'll all be here. Your obsession with a aging, washed up WR who hasn't been dominant since 2014 is weird.
 
Verdict

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Kwyn said:
I know we have several Dez posts and threads but today I’m asking for some patience with a new one because I want to talk about the receiver position and the right end position and what role Dez can actually fill in the 2020 NFL.

For the record, Im a Dez fan. He’s in my sig, I met him irl and he was great, etc etc etc. If the Cowboys want to give Dez a tryout, Im good with it but I think we need to be realistic

Many fans are arguing that Dez can either play the slot WR role or play TE. I think this is simply incorrect and I’ll state why.

First, some physical stats on Dez because they are important.

Dez is 6’2 and 220 lbs.
His 40 time as a rookie was 4.52

Tight End
  • He’s never played tight end
  • He’s extremely undersized for the position. Check out the best tight ends in the league. 6’4-6’6 and 245-260 lbs
  • He was never fast and now he’s probably around 4.6-4.7 range which is only average for a decent tight end. I think 4.6 is a fantasy for him at this point but we won’t know unless he goes on the clock which, no surprise, is not something he’s doing in any of his dozens of “skills” videos. The best tight ends are at 4.6 or better now.
  • He was never a good blocker. He was ok, but that was against DB’s. Linebackers and d-linemen would destroy him and all tight ends, even those who are more of a passing game threat go up against d-linemen and linebackers all day long. Its an inescapable fact of NFL life.
  • Bottom line, Tight Ends are not just slow wide receivers.

Wide Receiver
  • X Receiver (Split-End) Cooper - this is your #1 receiver, lines up wide, on the line, is set at the start of the play and can’t go into motion. Gets jammed by corners, faces the best man to man defender and needs to be fast and somewhat elusive to get out into his route.
  • Z Receiver (Flanker) - Gallup - lines up opposite of the X and slightly off the line of scrimmage. If he lines up on the line, the TE is ineligible. Needs to be fast, cause he’s defended by CB’s, but being off the line isn’t as easily jammed. This is typically the “motion receiver” and you sometimes see them go across the middle or involved in reverses but they also will go deep at times. Typically a lot of speed.
  • Slot Receiver - Cobb - this guy lines up closer to the interior of the line, almost always has a LB lines up across from him looking to hit him and keep him off his route. This guy needs to be quick and elusive or he’ll get caught in the wash and never be able to get open. This was Beasley for us before Cobb
  • 4th receiver - you only see this when a team goes to a “10 personnel” set. This is the “spread” and is something McCarthy used to run in GB and it wasn’t particularly rare for him so it won’t surprise me one bit to see it used here. It’s just a fourth guy who lines up and usually runs a crossing route. Sometimes it’s a TE and not a WR at all
  • Five wide receiver sets are Hail Marys and desperation pass situations. there’s no running back at all.
So, where’s Dez in that? Clearly he can’t be an effective TE and if you’re trying to make him your X, Z or Slot, you’re gonna have a bad time because he’s not fast or elusive enough to play any of them.

He could be a spread receiver and see spot play here and there, but wouldn’t you rather see a young WR talent develop with that roster spot than a 32 year old who hasn’t played for two years after an Achilles tear? A guy whose best plays, in his prime. were jump balls in the end zone and back shoulder fades?

I loved Dez but I just don’t see a good spot for him that couldn’t be filled better by a long list of rookies or young free agents.

Thanks for indulging me.
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Very good post.
 
Stash

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cern said:
lee still has value as a part time lb and occasional starter. the rest serve no purpose. jmo, of course.
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In the proper role (without Garrett influence), I can see 3 of those 4 names contributing in some form. It's not as if this team is so loaded at any of those positions.
 

McKDaddy

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He shoulda tried to refine the skills of the position rather than just rely on physicality while he was in the league. Too late now. Sad, but he has no one to blame but himself.
 
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