Dumbfounded, perplexed, and confused by the lack of interest in Dez

[kskboys]

It's not production, just off his performance last year he should be on a team. It seems like he's being blackballed or something.

Why do people keep ignoring the fact that Dez won't or can't run his routes? Do you guys realize how important route running is?

 

[America's Cowboy]

My name is erod, and I won't take no for an answer.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

We've all been hard on Dez at times. We've also lavished him with praise at other times. He's certainly an enigma wrapped in a mystery inside a puzzle.

I supported his release, but I also winced in the process. I knew he wouldn't react well, and I fully expected a feeling out process from the rest of the league.

But there is no way in Hades I thought he'd be sitting at home on September 20th after Week 2. Not a chance in the world.

Just how bad was he in the locker room? What is out there that apparently none of us know? I'm watching 31 other teams ignore his availability without an offer, outside of a made-for-Hard-Knocks meeting with the Browns.

Corey Coleman has been traded and picked up twice. Josh Gordon is making the rounds. BRICE BUTLER was signed here. Several other receivers are getting released and picked up.

How is Dez not paired up with Rodgers in Green Bay or Brady in New England? Those guys and a few others can deliver the type of throws that made him so successful here for so long. Dez is a touchdown-scoring machine with back-shoulder and high-point throws on target.

Meanwhile, crickets on the Dez front. Still.

I'm sitting here thinking, shoot, $2 million for a one-year deal? Bring him back. If nobody wants him for cheap, the Cowboys aren't risking anything by bringing him back in the fold. You can release him if it's not working for nothing because it's a game-by-game payout now.

I repeat, what is out there that we don't know?

Those All-or-Nothing videos did Dez no favors. He looked like a petulant, out-of-control child at times. But Dez is a gamer, too. While he might have a route tree that looks like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, there's no question about his passion on game day, which is mostly good and sometimes bad.

If you're not strapped to him with a big contract, where's the risk? I just don't get it.

What do we not understand?

probably a lot we don't know about, which is in the NFL circles. his skills have diminished and the questions is what will he bring to the table...with that said, probably more than the 4th or 5th WR on a team, but then as you said, there is the headaches that go with him as well as he probably wants more money than he is worth. he sees himself as a top WR target and a weapon, as the film shows a diminished WR with only specific skills and use. is he worth the 8-10 million that he might be asking. is he worth 6 million? he maybe worth 2 million a year and some one may gamble.....locker room unity goes a long way.

with that said, Josh Gordon at this point brings a lot more to the table than Dez. if you have opportunity to win a superbowl, you take a chance on Gordon. with minimal costs. and for one year. that's probably why NE traded for him. if he pans out, great for them. if he doesn't, they cut him and go. plus he is going to a strong organization, with strong leadership that doesn't put up with shiet. so he will fall in line better than anywhere else. if you have superbowl aspirations, then Gordon is the better option than Dez.

 

[G2]

A couple of things to think about when someone says that "Dez is the all time team leader in TDS." - is one, it's only a team stat and two If Witten didn't retire and played one more season he would have passed Bryant in TDs. He is already the all time team receiving leader.

Also, it doesn't hold a candle to how many TDs Smith racked up. So fans need to be a little clearer and say receiving TD leader.

 

[kskboys]

There is a 3rd part to this that is very rarely discussed. His "Jones fracture" injury. There was quite a bit of discussion about it when the injury occurred and whether or not he would ever be the same player again. It is true that most do return to the same level of production after that type of injury but not all are able to. We talk about "he got paid and doesn't care" or whatnot, but that injury happened 2 games into his new contract. Unfortunate timing but it is what it is.

Now don't get me wrong I am not blaming it all on the injury. He was never a great route runner, and Romo was able to make him a better receiver because of his accuracy. But I find the timing of the injury and the difference in the 3 years before it and 3 years after it to be very striking. 3 years before the injury: 273 catches, 3,935 yards, and 41 TDs. 3 years after it: 150 catches, 2,035 yards, and 17 TDs.

His best trait was the jump ball, if he was unable to recover, this got taken away (at least the consistency). He was unable to compensate because he of a few things (most on him): 1) He was never an accomplished route runner to begin with, 2) He refused to believe his skills diminished because of age and the injury, and 3) He refused to work on improving his route running because he still believed his skill set had changed.

This is all my opinion of course, but he simply was not the same player after that fracture. Sure there were other factors (that have been discussed ad nauseam for at least a year), but this was the starting point of the decline. While I agreed with decision to release him, it saddens me to see the level of vitriol he has been getting as if he hadn't put up possibly the best 3 year window of any receiver in Cowboys history or genuinely cared about and was proud of being a member of this team.

It's also a known fact that Dez refused to do his rehab.

Recovery from most injuries/surgery generally is based on rehab. That is most likely the reason Dez has never been the same since the injury.

 

[bodi]

I think he has falling in with the wrong crowd - again it takes 30 days for MJ to leave the body

 

[LifetimeBoysFan]

4. He had offers, just rejected them.

This is a big one. If you got interest from teams and said no thanks, I’m worth more. Are still sitting at home without other offers. What team would expect him to come in and sign for vet min non guaranteed money? Dez may talk the big game of loving the game. But his actions of turning down millions to say “need more” is a major contridiction to his rhetoric.

Mix that in with declining ability, and footage of him being a headache to deal with in meetings and on sidelines and he has made himself expendable. At this point even his former team is saying no thanks. We’d rather re-sign our former 13 catch 4th stringer ahead of you.

 

[birdwells1]

No excuses. If a team wanted Dez, none of what you're mentioning would matter.

Not excuses but reasons.

 

[TheSkaven]

Skipping a season never makes any sense. In the case of Le’Von Bell, at least, it’s a young running back with a string of great years.

If Dez decides to sit out the entire year, he’ll be 30 going on 31 next year and 5 years from his last big year. That’d be a death knell.

I was in favor of cutting Dez. It was the right decision. I wouldn’t be opposed to bringing him back on a one-year “prove it” deal for less than $3 million, under very specific conditions. Those conditions are that he’s the X receiver inside the 20 yard line, otherwise he’s sitting on the bench.

I’m rather sure he wouldn’t go for that, though.

 

[erod]

A couple of things to think about when someone says that "Dez is the all time team leader in TDS." - is one, it's only a team stat and two If Witten didn't retire and played one more season he would have passed Bryant in TDs. He is already the all time team receiving leader.

Also, it doesn't hold a candle to how many TDs Smith racked up. So fans need to be a little clearer and say receiving TD leader.

This is the Dallas Cowboys. Arguably the most prominent franchise in NFL history. To be the all-time leader in touchdown receptions is really a thing. I promise.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Why do people keep ignoring the fact that Dez won't or can't run his routes? Do you guys realize how important route running is?

Some people ignore that, I know I've made mention of that before, as have others...

 

[kskboys]

Not excuses but reasons.

Semantics.

You're trying to figure out why he isn't signed. You're looking at the wrong things. And it's very simple. Route running, refusal to rehab from injury, very questionable attitude, possible locker room cancer, his antics since being cut.

 

[kskboys]

This is the Dallas Cowboys. Arguably the most prominent franchise in NFL history. To be the all-time leader in touchdown receptions is really a thing. I promise.

It is a thing to put on a plaque on your wall. Not a thing to get you signed to another team.

 

[G2]

This is the Dallas Cowboys. Arguably the most prominent franchise in NFL history. To be the all-time leader in touchdown receptions is really a thing. I promise.

Not when a TE has only 4 TDs less.

 

[G2]

Semantics.

You're trying to figure out why he isn't signed. You're looking at the wrong things. And it's very simple. Route running, refusal to rehab from injury, very questionable attitude, possible locker room cancer, his antics since being cut.

Issues with on the field focus.

 

[erod]

Not when a TE has only 4 TDs less.

So by that measure, Irvin, Pearson, Hill, Hayes, DuPree, Novacek, etc, weren't much then.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Who knows? Might be as simple as he wants a one year deal and teams would want him on a multi-year, not much guaranteed money contract.

We can speculate all we want, might never find out the real reason...

 

[atlantacowboy]

He never had serious dropped-pass issues before. You don't get too old to catch a football. That was an outlier.

Absolutely correct on the route running, so HOW IS HE THE ALL-TIME LEADER IN TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN COWBOYS HISTORY?

He doesn't suck. That's silly. I agree that no team will want to pair him with a young QB, but a seasoned veteran who knows how to use different types of receivers.

He played with Romo who could thread a needle with the football. Romo made all the WRs better.

But, Dez handled himself all wrong in the off season. When Dallas let him walk he was completely unprofessional and made it into a public vendetta. Then he courts/stalks the Giants on twitter. He's an immature child and nobody wants that in their locker room. Dallas coddled him and nobody else is going to do that.

 

[kskboys]

Who knows? Might be as simple as he wants a one year deal and teams would want him on a multi-year, not much guaranteed money contract.

We can speculate all we want, might never find out the real reason...

Not hard to figure out if you put yourself in the place of a team's GM.

 

[lopey]

He overestimated his skill level at this point in his career. He was also a cancer on the sidelines last year. Should of signed with the Ravens. Big mistake on his part.