Some buddies and I were kicking around the Dez situation the other day, and Peter King touched on a point we were making. He added context.
We concluded that the Cowboys have no choice but to keep Dez Bryant. Replacing him in the draft is too hard, and buying their way out of it only compounds the financial albatross of Dez' contract even further.
In the past three years, look at the first-round receivers that were drafted. Virtually every one has been a disappointment so far, except for Amari Cooper.
2015: Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman, Phillip Dorsett
2016: Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Josh Doctson, Lequon Treadwell
2017: Corey Davis, Mike Williams, John Ross
And keep in mind, 2018 is supposed to be a weak draft at receiver.
College football is doing a terrible job of developing wide receivers for the pros, just like so many other positions. Receivers show up completely lost with no idea how professional offenses work. They don't understand how to run routes, how to read defenses, and they aren't used to catching balls in traffic.
I know that sounds like Dez a bit, but he had the knack for catching in traffic from day one.
If they cut Dez, then Cole Beasley or Terrance Williams is the #1 receiver. That is, unless you think tiny Calvin Ridley is going to come in and be a seasoned pro his first year. Eeeek.
I've stated my issues with Dez for a many years, but he's the best option for this team in 2018 at that spot. Keep him, bite hard on the contract, and just hope the running game returns in full force.