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

[CATCH17]

I've seen rumors that supposedly he just isn't really interested in football right now unless it's the right situation.

His heart was in Dallas. He was all in on being a Cowboy. So it would be hard for him to go to a team like Baltimore or Cleveland that doesn't have high expectations.

Dez wants to win and I think he only goes to a winner.

 

[Kevinicus]

What about how he's a can in the locker room?

But everyone says they love him...

 

[G2]

Witten played in 229 games, Dez 113...

Witten missed one game. Pretty special.

 

[sean10mm]

The truth is that even in his prime Dez was a relatively limited player who won by overpowering and out-jumping/reaching corners. As soon as he slowed down physically he went from mostly winning contested catches to mostly losing them, and stopped breaking off short catches into long gains. What's left is a guy with a low catch rate compared to the other Cowboys receivers (!!!) who also doesn't make big plays.

A team like the Patriots looks at this and sees literally no upside. They can manufacture yards for guys with limited athletic ability, but only if they can do the following:

1. Master a complex playbook and a completely different play calling system from most teams
2. Run precise routes that put them in exactly the right place at exactly the right time
3. Be reliable

Dez hasn't been reliable since 2014 and was never a technician. The Pats could probably find a role for him, but from their point of view he's just a worse Chris Hogan now. They already have dudes who can't separate, and at least the guys they already have know the playbook and will go where Brady tells them to go.

The rules are different if you're a physical freak, they didn't make Randy Moss run a ton of different routes, they let him take the top off the defense and maybe run the odd slant and score a million points that way. Early in his career Gronk didn't instantly master the whole offense, but that was fine because he could overpower literally everyone that tried to cover him. That's why Josh Gordon was worth taking a (cheap) gamble on.

 

[Insomniac]

It's pretty telling when Josh Gordon is considered less of a headcase than Dez.

My impression is he's not willing to play for a contract that's not #1 WR money. Gordon is still making rookie deal $.

 

[Jake]

1. He did no favors with his outburst on Twitter.
2. He declined in production, regardless of any excuses.
3. Getting close to 30, aka when most players decline in athletic ability. Dez made his money off being an athletic freak. Getting stonewalled by physical corners in 16 didn't help his cause.
4. He had offers, just rejected them.

Had he handled his release like a pro he'd have gotten more offers. Instead, he had a tantrum and trashed members of his former team. Anyone who thinks other teams didn't notice is naive. You only put up with that nonsense for supreme talent. That isn't Dez in 2018.