News: BTB: Dez Bryant has only played one less season than DeMarcus Ware had when the Cowboys

[NewsBot]

We are, sadly, approaching D-Ware territory with Dez Bryant.

Can you believe DeMarcus Ware was released four years ago by the Dallas Cowboys?

Time flies, and not a whole lot of fun has really been had while it’s been doing so. Since that infamous day in the offseason of 2014, Ware has won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos and retired, while the Cowboys have continued to try to find their own way.

There are many a Cowboys fan that are still bitter over the team moving on from the franchise’s all-time sack leader. He did help win a ring; he obviously had gas left in the tank, but it was a business move and everyone did their best to understand that at the time.

We’re seemingly in a similar boat these days as Stephen Jones keeps saying things that make it seem like Dez Bryant could be the odd man out when the Cowboys fortify their 2018 plans. What once seemed an impossibility suddenly has traction as a real thing.

I’ve been pretty adamant for a while that I don’t think anything’s going to happen re: Dez Bryant this year.

Tonight’s the first time I’m doubting that stance, courtesy of this quote from Stephen Jones. pic.twitter.com/vpYXgcnk0T

— David Helman (@HelmanDC) February 23, 2018​

It’s hard not to think back to Ware’s release when considering the present-day situation with Dez, but it’s Dez... right? There’s no way. For some reason, whether rational or irrational, this just feels different. There’s no way they’d actually release him. They’re different!

What if they weren’t different, though? What if they were almost the same? Wouldn’t that mean it’s just as possible for Dez to get the Ware treatment as much as it was true that time flew just as fast for him?

Dez Bryant has played eight seasons for the Cowboys. At the time of his release, DeMarcus Ware had played nine. That’s unreal.

Now to be totally frank here, Dez has played in 113 games (99 starts). At the time, Ware had played in 141 games (140 starts). Dez has missed time in four of his seasons with Dallas, including twice in the last three years. Ware had only ever missed time in his final season with the team. Again, that’s unreal.

It’s not necessarily apples to apples to compare the two situations, but it’s closer than apples and oranges. Maybe it’s apples and pears, but even that feels weird because nobody likes pears. The point here is, Dez Bryant really is in a similar situation to DeMarcus Ware circa 2014.

If the franchise’s all-time sack leader couldn’t survive the rigors of the business side of the NFL, can it’s all-time leader in touchdown catches? Precedent points to an interesting offseason..

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