Dez Bryant - A Man With No Position

[Bullflop]

I'm a bit amazed he's even attempting to rejoin the Cowboys after having badmouthed them so much after he left. He's dreaming, imho.

 

[KingintheNorth]

I'm a bit amazed he's even attempting to rejoin the Cowboys after having badmouthed them so much when he left. He's dreaming, imho.

His issue was with Garrett no?

He's remained close to the Jones all this time.

 

[Bullflop]

His issue was with Garrett no?

He's remained close to the Jones all this time.

Seems to me he criticized the team as a whole and some of its players as well.

 

[Kwyn]

I believe he can play Cobbs positions we cant have both so its either try and retain Cobb of that falls though tryout Dez..if an anquann bolden and other older vets can contribute im betting a motivated Dez can if they make sure they motion him have him run a lot of slants and crossing patterns get him going sideways in space and get it to him on the move and use him on GL for jump balls,.the last few years our Offense hardy ran those when dez was here and Dak had issues throwing them...lmao he still does to a degree his most inaccurate balls are crossers and slants so many are behind to point it slows the EWR and he has to stop to make catch or make a spectacular catch,,

you get accurate passes to dez on those he will be very successful..

I just don’t think Dez is quick enough to get off the line against CB’s or strong enough to get off against linebackers.

like I said. His age and skill set is working against him and he was never crafty to begin with and that is not a skill you develop at this stage

 

[vnick]

I loved Dez when he was here. I wore his jersey and have a signed Dez jersey framed and hanging on my wall. That being said, he's not the type of player that I think ages well. WR who play well once their skill set declines are WR who are known as good route runners with good hands. Dez, while an athletic freak, was never a great route runner. And he didn't get better at it as he got older and more experienced, if anything he was worse. Also, while known for having incredible hand-strength, his final year he appeared not to have the ability to win the 50/50 ball even 25% of the time.

Now, if he could come here and be a productive role player, I am not opposed. I just don't foresee that happening. I would love for it to work out, but a slower Dez who still runs sloppy routes is not going to create enough separation in this offense.

 

[Kwyn]

I believe he can play Cobbs positions we cant have both so its either try and retain Cobb of that falls though tryout Dez..if an anquann bolden and other older vets can contribute im betting a motivated Dez can if they make sure they motion him have him run a lot of slants and crossing patterns get him going sideways in space and get it to him on the move and use him on GL for jump balls,.the last few years our Offense hardy ran those when dez was here and Dak had issues throwing them...lmao he still does to a degree his most inaccurate balls are crossers and slants so many are behind to point it slows the EWR and he has to stop to make catch or make a spectacular catch,,

you get accurate passes to dez on those he will be very successful..

One of the reasons we didn’t run that play is because Dez had lost most of his twitch and leaping ability by that point. Dak could have been more accurate, but that’s the point of a jump ball. The receiver goes up and gets it through either they’re vertical, their timing or their strength to muscle it away from others.

this isn’t 2013 Dez, it’s 2019 Dez with a rebuilt Achilles and two years out of football

 

[JoeKing]

It's a false premise. To accept the premise the OP wants me to accept Dez as an NFL player and then consider his best position. I don't consider Dez an NFL player and he is not an NFL player so consider his position is a moot point. Dez is a turd. The only position to be considered for him is being flushed down the toilet.

 

[Kwyn]

Play the slot fast...like the Bease did...and he's a strong mutha to bring down.

He’s not fast though. He never was. Now he’d be slower than any CB, and most cover linebackers . Like I said, the slot receiver has a linebacker lined up right on top of them. Dez was never strong enough to outmuscle a LB and not he’s not really quick enough either. He’s just not that player, if he ever was

remember, Dez, in his prime, lined up as an X wide receiver. He was big and strong enough to fight off CB’s who tried to jam him and he was fast enough to get past them if he won the checks at the line.

You can’t play Dez game at the Z or in the slot and he’s too slow to play the X. I’m afraid the game has passed him by unless you are desperate and make him your fifth WR and use him for emergencies

 

[Kwyn]

Forgive me. But as soon as I see a post longer than four sentences I'm done.

Twitter is that away. Plenty of hot takes and no analysis to be found there.

 

[TheDuke]

I hope he comes back.

Just so we can all watch him embarrass himself and embarrass his supporters.

Then maybe all of these Dez fans will shut the ———— up about it.

 

[Kwyn]

His issue was with Garrett no?

He's remained close to the Jones all this time.

Oh no, he beefed with a bunch of guys.

He called out a group of people he called “Garret Guys”. He came right out and called Sean Lee a snake. Dak, Witten and Frederick were also considered by most to be in that group of “Garret Guys”

He tweeted out that Jerry would have kept him but there’d were five or six guys against him and Jerry couldn’t stand up against that.

if Dak is here I think it’s unlikely they would want to bring Dez back.

 

[Teague31]

He’d probably be a better safety than Heath

 

[Idgit]

His position is “former NFL star.”

 

[big dog cowboy]

Dez Bryant - A Man With No Position

The best position for Dez is whichever position he can get on a XFL team.

 

[buybuydandavis]

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.

Dez needs a role, not a position.

Assets
Strong. Physical. Aggressive.
Good hands, body control, leaping ability, catching in a crowd.
Good open field runner, hard to bring down.
Good in school yard ball.

Liabilities
Speed.
Route running.

Role
Blocking WR. OK for YAC on dump offs. Some hand offs.
Especially useful in the red zone when the field gets crowded.
Punt returns.

I'm assuming he comes basically healthy, but having lost a step.

If he can be a willing and dedicated blocker, he's a serious blocking/running/receiving asset in the red zone, where speed matters less, and physicality and catch radius more.

For WRs, we've gone for route runners and speed. Guys who get separation. The speed and route running aren't as useful when the field is only 15 yards deep. We could use more physicality, and Dez brings it.

 

[Alexander]

Wouldn't be the worst idea.

It is the perfect idea for a guy like him.

If he were anywhere near his peak, he could dance around these low rent clowns and show he was worth a dedicated roster spot.

 

[buybuydandavis]

this isn’t 2013 Dez, it’s 2019 Dez with a rebuilt Achilles and two years out of football

The rebuilt Achilles is a good point. I forgot about that.

Dez's high pointing isn't something to build a play around anymore, but I'd expect him to still have a good vertical catch radius, and better than most of our WRs with a body on them.

Dez2014 is long gone. Dez2020 likely can still be useful to a team in a lot of ways.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Oh no, he beefed with a bunch of guys.

He called out a group of people he called “Garret Guys”. He came right out and called Sean Lee a snake. Dak, Witten and Frederick were also considered by most to be in that group of “Garret Guys”

He tweeted out that Jerry would have kept him but there’d were five or six guys against him and Jerry couldn’t stand up against that.

if Dak is here I think it’s unlikely they would want to bring Dez back.

If Dez is an issue for Dak, then it's a no go.

 

[Stash]

What kind of “weapon” is Dez? What “weaponry” does he bring to the offense?

I’m interested in what you think he can do that almost any other WR cant do at least as well, if not better.

Physicality and winning contested one-on-one matchups. And he's a great red zone threat that others - including Cooper - aren't.

I'll take Dez Bryant in a one-on-one matchup against your 3rd and 4th corner all day.

I would think that someone who professes to be a "Dez fan" would know this?

 

[3rd_n_inches]

If MM wants to add him to the roster I am all for it.