Dez Bryant - A Man With No Position

[RonnieT24]

You had a good post going until your last sentence.

Seriously, your idea that Dez can excel as the #3 WR is very sketchy. That is a guess, just as most of the other ideas are. And the real irony is that your statement there at the end points exactly back at you!!!!!!!! It did amuse me!!!!!!

Dude.. bringing even 80% of Dez into the slot and matching him up on the other team's #3 corner or a safety excites the hell outta me.

 

[G2]

You need to look up the definition of whine in a dictionary. Don't be shocked if you see a pic of yourself by the word.

Lame response, as expected. Run along.

 

[Hook'em#11]

Lame response, as expected. Run along.

Why are you still on with this? It's been over.

 

[GMO415]

A man with no speed. Good Lord he's slow

 

[Kwyn]

Dude.. bringing even 80% of Dez into the slot and matching him up on the other team's #3 corner or a safety excites the hell outta me.

If you look around the league at the best slot receivers none of them have anything in common with what Dez was in his prime, plus his body is all wrong

Most are speed guys. Think Tyreek Hill
Those who are not speed guys are consummate route runners. Think Adam Thielen

Dez is neither of those. He’s slow and was always a poor route runner even in his prime .

The slot receiver is not a big slow guy who runs a 7 yard route, turns and catches the ball. That’s more of a mediocre right end role. Think Jason Witten

Also, the slot doesn’t go against a 3rd corner. Defenses typically put a linebacker directly over the slot and that player attempts to jam the slot, then trail the receiver to obstruct the WB’s passing lane. A CB or Safety is then responsible to pick up the slot receiver if he makes it out into the route.

That’s why it’s so important that the slot receiver have one or both of thr qualities I mentioned above. Speed, to avoid the LB jam altogether, or excellent route running skills so that if they get into the route they find the passing lane for the QB and off the DB who is coming to help.

Dez can’t do any of that. He never could. He phase one spot he could play. The X. Out wide, no motion, beat man coverage.

That’s why I said he is a man with no position.

 

[DuncanIso]

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.

Cobb is UFA.

move Gallup to slot.

 

[Kwyn]

Cobb is UFA.

move Gallup to slot.

Who plays the “Z” if Gallup plays the slot?

Gallup has a really good year playing opposite Cooper and bring our motion receiver. I’m wouldn’t want to move him out of a spot where he had so much success

I think we see Cobb back as the slot receiver. He had a petty good year as well.

 

[kskboys]

Dude.. bringing even 80% of Dez into the slot and matching him up on the other team's #3 corner or a safety excites the hell outta me.

Well, I don't think so, but disagreement is OK!!!!