News: Are the Dallas Cowboys planning for life without Dez Bryant?

[CCBoy]

Are the Dallas Cowboys planning for life without Dez Bryant?
http://thelandryhat.com/2017/04/22/dallas-cowboys-planning-dez-bryant/



...The Cowboys were up against the cap limit once again this offseason so they restructured the contracts of linebacker Sean Lee, center Travis Frederick and left tackle Tyron Smith. Still, the space generated by re-doing these deals wasn’t nearly enough to fill the holes on defense, especially in the secondary.

And the $14 million in cap space relief that came as a result of releasing Romo will not be available until after the draft in June. But honestly, those monies were desperately needed back in March when the Cowboys were losing key players to free agency and there was no way to stop the bleeding.

With the needs piling up and money running low, why wasn’t Bryant’s contract restructured as well? I believe it’s because the Cowboys may be preparing for a future without Dez...

 

[Common Sense]

I've been thinking about this lately. To me, the answer is obviously yes.

1. $17M/year is way too much for a receiver who wasn't even missed by a rookie QB when he went down this past year. The Cowboys have adopted a sabermetrics, "Moneyball"-influenced approach over the last several years, and having that much of your cap tied up in a WR doesn't fit the philosophy for reasons that have made themselves clear on the field.

2. They don't like handing out third contracts, especially for players who might be showing signs of recurring injury risk in their 20s.

3. They aren't looking at players like JuJu Smith-Schuster for fun. That's a calculation.

4. Dez is the only player who has had a ton of guaranteed money in the second year of his contract that wasn't restructured. Think about that.

Now, that doesn't mean they are planning on dumping Dez. It just means that they would rather set themselves up in the future to view having a player like Dez as a luxury, not a necessity. If they had a couple of young potential #1 guys waiting in the wings during the contract negotiations (see #3), there's a chance they could have either let him walk or franchised and traded him. It's not crazy when you think about it. Paying QB money to WRs under this CBA with this style of offense doesn't really make that much sense.

 

[stilltheguru88]

Dez started falling off when he got paid. He seems to need to be motivated at all times so I'm sure this was done for that reason. I'm sure his agent speaks to him about things like that as well. He knows what he needs to do to stay in Dallas. It's up to him

 

[4lifecowboy]

Really?

 

[elcowboi]

I think Dez will be here long term. Could be wrong but I think he gets a third contract. He was a major reason the team came together last year. There's a lot of players on that team that respect and admire Bryant. If he's asking for the moon then he probably will be gone. If he wants to win, he'll sign a friendly contract like Williams.

 

[Common Sense]

I think Dez will be here long term. Could be wrong but I think he gets a third contract. He was a major reason the team came together last year. There's a lot of players on that team that respect and admire Bryant. If he's asking for the moon then he probably will be gone. If he wants to win, he'll sign a friendly contract like Williams.

It's too early to make any sort of predictions, but it's entirely possible that Dez Bryant isn't a Cowboy in a few years because of Roc Nation.

 

[jwooten15]

Dez either didn't get healthy, or didn't really "turn it on", until the playoff game last year. That's what concerns me. He's matured a ton the last couple years, and he always talks about how dedicated he is to the team, but the production just hasn't lived up to the contract. 2017 will have a huge impact on Dez's future in Dallas.

 

[blindzebra]

Just which free agents did we miss out on?

It is a stupid theory.

The much more likely theory is we spread out the Romo money and saved the restructure on Dez to extend Martin this summer.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

Dez either didn't get healthy, or didn't really "turn it on", until the playoff game last year. That's what concerns me. He's matured a ton the last couple years, and he always talks about how dedicated he is to the team, but the production just hasn't lived up to the contract. 2017 will have a huge impact on Dez's future in Dallas.

After he returned from his injury following the bye, Dez had a 9-game stretch where he paced for 1150 yards and 12 TDs over a 16-game season. In our run-first offense that's pretty dang good.

 

[gmoney112]

Writers must be bored.

 

[Common Sense]

Just which free agents did we miss out on?

It is a stupid theory.

The much more likely theory is we spread out the Romo money and saved the restructure on Dez to extend Martin this summer.

So you think the team is happy with the idea of paying Dez $20M/year or whatever ridiculous contract demands Roc Nation is going to have in 2020 for a player with back problems looking for his third contract? Both theories are probably correct in this instance.

 

[DeaconBlues]

I read that with the growing belief the author had no idea how Dallas manages the cap or the lack of even average players available in FA. And in every sentence, it was confirmed.

 

[superonyx]

What a joke...

From the article...But honestly, those monies were desperately needed back in March when the Cowboys were losing key players to free agency and there was no way to stop the bleeding.

Who were these key players we were losing to free agency? What bleeding? Who was available that we missed out on?

It's funny how a stupid article gets posted and then a bunch of Dez haters here start chiming in agreeing with the article...

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

You don't just bring in two WRs as your thirty if so are looking to replace Dez. Next year might be a different story.

 

[blindzebra]

So you think the team is happy with the idea of paying Dez $20M/year or whatever ridiculous contract demands Roc Nation is going to have in 2020 for a player with back problems looking for his third contract? Both theories are probably correct in this instance.

Is it 2020? Like I said, stupid.

The team isn't extending the players mentioned, they are restructuring. They are moving salary into bonus money and that is how those contracts were written.

 

[JoeKing]

Draft a new #1WR and trade Dez away, he's a bum who's overrated, overpaid and just not the playmaker we need.

 

[Verdict]

You don't just bring in two WRs as your thirty if so are looking to replace Dez. Next year might be a different story.

I would not be surprised if we draft a WR in the first 3 rounds.

 

[big dog cowboy]

thelandryhat

I wish I had known this before clicking on this thread.

 

[ghst187]

Enter Corey Davis and Fred Ross

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Draft a new #1WR and trade Dez away, he's a bum who's overrated, overpaid and just not the playmaker we need.

I'm guessing no team will want a bum who's overrated and overpaid. So forget a trade.