Cowboys hot topic: It may be time for an “amicable divorce” from Dez Bryant

lostxn

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Cowboys hot topic: It may be time for an “amicable divorce” from Dez Bryant

The “chemistry” between Bryant and Dak Prescott may just never happen, so why keep trying?
By Tom Ryle@TomRyleBTB Dec 27, 2017, 10:00am CST

It is a connection that has failed far too often. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
In 2016, a popular talking point about the Dallas Cowboys was that they had found a new “triplets”: Quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott (both rookies, of course), and veteran wide receiver Dez Bryant. But this year, things fell apart. Elliott, as you all know, went through a long legal fight before serving his six-game suspension. In Elliott’s absence, Prescott, who had been somewhat erratic already, really seemed to fall apart, particularly after the eight-sack punishment he endured at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons and All-Pro-for-a-day Adrian Clayborn. Meanwhile, the Dak-to-Dez connection never really seemed in place all season, and was even worse once Elliott was off the field, forcing the Cowboys to try to move through the air more. In particular, Bryant has had far too many drops, is often taken out of the equation by the opposing defense’s coverage, and had the disastrous fumble last week.

Both Prescott and Elliott are going to be in their third year, and are young enough that the team can hold a reasonable expectation that they can resolve their sophomore issues. But Bryant is very different. He is 29, has already played seven seasons in the violent world of the NFL, and has seen his production fall off dramatically, partly due to injury, since his three 1,000+ yard seasons from 2012 to 2014. Significantly, 2014 was his last year playing the entire season with a healthy Tony Romo. He had developed a real connection with Romo, something that has not shown at all during his two years with Prescott.

After a year where the biggest issues for Dallas were pretty clearly on offense, there need to be some changes made. One place we may see a big one is the offensive coordinator job, where Scott Linehan’s seat suddenly looks very hot. But another, very controversial idea has also emerged. It may be time for the Cowboys to move on from Dez Bryant and try to find a new WR1.

While the blame for the lack of production with Bryant is not entirely his, there is just something that has not clicked with Prescott. Since the Cowboys are much more locked into the quarterback, the only way to try and change that would be to release Bryant. This is seen by many as heresy, but one thing it is not is a condemnation of Bryant as a player or teammate. It is just more like a case of irreconcilable differences. One Twitter commentator puts it like this in discussing how Prescott’s game may just not be workable for Bryant.


Steve Harrington
@NickCochNY
Yup or throws anticipation throws. Dak's game is leading receivers. He's never going to see or throw to a guy who isn't open yet. Just different. https://twitter.com/TPDDavis/status/945497187416444928
9:32 PM - Dec 25, 2017

We saw in 2016 how effective Prescott could be without the disruptions and offensive line problems this year brought. And it is telling that the leading receiver that season was not Bryant - it was Cole Beasley (who, it must be admitted, also has fallen off badly this year). As much as Bryant has given the team, he may no longer have enough to offer. And on the other side of the coin, he may well benefit from a new team with the right kind of quarterback and return to his old, dominant self.


Steve Harrington
@NickCochNY
He will. Hence why it's great for both sides. I'd love to see Dez in a scheme and with a QB more suitable for him. Not a knock on either side, they're just different https://twitter.com/TPDDavis/status/945496062466383873
9:30 PM - Dec 25, 2017


That raises a couple of questions, of course. Bryant has one of the biggest contracts and cap hits for the Cowboys. But while releasing him outright or trading him would come with a significant dead money penalty of $8 million next year, it also would free up significant cap space. The savings would be $8.5 million in 2018 (figures per Over the Cap).

That’s a significant amount of money to find a replacement. However, we all know how the Cowboys loathe to spend in free agency. While they might make an exception in this case, that would not be a wise bet. And there do not look to be any real candidates to take over his job already on the roster. Terrance Williams seems to have a ceiling of WR2, Cole Beasley is obviously a slot receiver, and rookie Noah Brown has not shown any real reason to think he can step up, at least so far. Instead, the most likely place they might look to find a successor as the WR1 would be the draft, where the Cowboys look to be picking in the first round in the 15 to 19 range, pending the outcome of the final week of the season. And if the Cowboys should make the decision to move on from Bryant, WR would certainly be a first-round consideration.

It is of course extremely early in the draft process, but a couple of early boards (Draftrek and CBS) list some prospects that might fall in the right range for Dallas. Courtland Sutton of SMU and James Washington of Oklahoma State are the top two, and both come from schools where Dallas has some recent history finding talent - Bryant of course is an Oklahoma State prospect, and Beasley played his college ball at Southern Methodist. Both Sutton and Washington are currently seen as being in the 10 to 18 range as overall talents. Beyond that, some other players that are possible first round talents are Deontay Burnett of Southern California, Anthony Miller of Memphis, and Marcell Ateman, another OSU product. The Cowboys staff relies, of course, on their own scouting, and may see more in one of those players than other teams.

Releasing Bryant would be a highly controversial move, as mentioned. No one can question his passion for the game and his dedication to the Cowboys. Still, roster moves have to be made without emotion. And has also been brought up, the move could well be as beneficial for Bryant’s career as for Dallas.

It is not at all a given that the team would even consider this move. But the evidence is that they should at least give it some thought. Then they need to make the best call for the future of the team. One way or another, what happens at the featured wide receiver spot is going to have a large impact on the team going forward. And it will be discussed until, and long past, the beginning of next season.
 

Cotton

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He needs to go. It’s as simple as that.
 

Genghis Khan

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"Dak's game is leading receivers."

Is that a typo or a joke? It's certainly not true.

The article also makes mention that Cole Beasley fell off a lot this season. So far, if we are keeping tally, that's Witten, Dez, and Beasley.

At what point do we stop making excuses and start looking at the common denominator? The QB is a huge problem right now.
 

Cowboysrock55

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"Dak's game is leading receivers."

Is that a typo or a joke? It's certainly not true.

The article also makes mention that Cole Beasley fell off a lot this season. So far, if we are keeping tally, that's Witten, Dez, and Beasley.

At what point do we stop making excuses and start looking at the common denominator? The QB is a huge problem right now.
Considering Beasley had his career year with Dak the logic doesn't hold very well there. Hell what Cole did this year is probably closer to what he has been most of his career.

It's not an excuse for Dak to say that Dez has dropped more balls then ever in his career or that a 36 year old Witten is past his prime. Dak needs to play better but the truth is the weapons around him have gotten worse as well. Anyone can see that.
 

p1_

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"Dak's game is leading receivers."

Is that a typo or a joke? It's certainly not true.

The article also makes mention that Cole Beasley fell off a lot this season. So far, if we are keeping tally, that's Witten, Dez, and Beasley.

At what point do we stop making excuses and start looking at the common denominator? The QB is a huge problem right now.
Its equal parts receiver and QB. None of our receivers can separate.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Its equal parts receiver and QB. None of our receivers can separate.
I agree. We actually had a pretty good third down conversion rate this season. Our biggest problem is we have no big plays. That's part on Dak and it's part on our receivers. Dak doesn't attempt many passes deep but we also have receivers that are slow and incapable of taking a 10 yard pass and going the distance with it. If you don't have separation in the first place it makes it really hard to get any YAC.

I do have a hard time with Dez though because he does make the spectacular plays. And I worry that without him we literally will have no one capable of making those plays. The next closest guy is Butler. But I think our offense is harmed by filtering 120+ balls through Dez and Dez only catching 50% of them. If I could take Dez's talent and put him in a WR2 type role I'd love to. But he doesn't have that type of personality. The end game is we need more speed and athleticism on offense and the obvious guys to replace are the two who would save us the most cap space. It's Dez and Witten.
 

ravidubey

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We badly need team speed. Dak should improve with experience, but we need guys who run great routes. I’m more and more convinced the “physical freak” type WRs are just not necessary.
 

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We badly need team speed. Dak should improve with experience, but we need guys who run great routes. I’m more and more convinced the “physical freak” type WRs are just not necessary.
The NFL has fallen in love with the big WRs but I think speed scares defenses far more. Give me a 5'11" guy with elite speed and great hands over the 6'3" guy with average speed and great hands. Those 4 inches don't mean much when you can't get separation. Now that doesn't mean I want 5'8" WRs. I think you still need to meet sort of a bare minimum in size.

Of course speed only means so much without great route running as well. It's why Antonio Brown is so good, he combines both great routes with his speed and quickness.
 

vince

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Read somewhere Dez saying he's going to resist taking a paycut.
 

vince

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The NFL has fallen in love with the big WRs but I think speed scares defenses far more. Give me a 5'11" guy with elite speed and great hands over the 6'3" guy with average speed and great hands. Those 4 inches don't mean much when you can't get separation. Now that doesn't mean I want 5'8" WRs. I think you still need to meet sort of a bare minimum in size.

Of course speed only means so much without great route running as well. It's why Antonio Brown is so good, he combines both great routes with his speed and quickness.
The Pats have proven this. However, I highly doubt the Cowboys know how to utilize Switzer and Beasley in tandem.
 

Cotton

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Read somewhere Dez saying he's going to resist taking a paycut.
Then he can GTFO and we can focus on WR1 high in the draft.
 

Cowboysrock55

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The Pats have proven this. However, I highly doubt the Cowboys know how to utilize Switzer and Beasley in tandem.
Yeah Tom Brady and the Patriots do a wonderful job of scheming people open. Presnap Brady often knows who is probably going to be wide open.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Then he can GTFO and we can focus on WR1 high in the draft.
Yep, that's fine if he doesn't want to take a pay cut. It makes no financial sense to have 900 receiving yards taking up 16.5 mil in cap space. And maybe Dez thinks he can get one last nice pay day in free agency.
 

Cotton

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Yep, that's fine if he doesn't want to take a pay cut. It makes no financial sense to have 900 receiving yards taking up 16.5 mil in cap space. And maybe Dez thinks he can get one last nice pay day in free agency.
It’s not just the stats. Dez hurts in other ways, like Dak forcing him the ball for whatever reason and the drops that are tips and end up as INTs. You know Dez is in Dak’s ear on the sidelines screaming for the ball. Hell, that asshole was screaming at the sidelines right before a snap on Sunday. Compete lack of focus.
 

DLK150

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Let him go. He's overrated, overpaid, slow, freelances too much and can be a distraction on the sideline with some of his antics. On top of that, for every "highlight reel" catch he makes there's a "WTF Dez?" moment.
 

vince

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It’s not just the stats. Dez hurts in other ways, like Dak forcing him the ball for whatever reason and the drops that are tips and end up as INTs. You know Dez is in Dak’s ear on the sidelines screaming for the ball. Hell, that asshole was screaming at the sidelines right before a snap on Sunday. Compete lack of focus.
I think Dak and Witten should create some plays behind Dez's back. Maybe that'll let Dez know he's no longer relevant.
 

Cotton

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I think Dak and Witten should create some plays behind Dez's back. Maybe that'll let Dez know he's no longer relevant.
I think it would be better if Dak and Beasley create plays behind Garrett’s back.
 

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Cowboysrock55

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It’s not just the stats. Dez hurts in other ways, like Dak forcing him the ball for whatever reason and the drops that are tips and end up as INTs. You know Dez is in Dak’s ear on the sidelines screaming for the ball. Hell, that asshole was screaming at the sidelines right before a snap on Sunday. Compete lack of focus.
Yep and when you have a 24 year old kid playing QB and a 29 year old veteran WR like Dez, he's going to be able to push him around. It's why I'd rather go young and let Dak grow up with a stud WR. Not be handed a guy who has been in the league for half a decade already.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Yeah, I'm guessing Linehan is going to be out. I think a lot of the players are fed up with his scheme in all honesty.

I'm not saying Dez is wrong about this. But it's annoying when he bitches about the scheme and then turns around and fumbles the ball or drops the pass when given the opportunity. It's like worry about yourself a little before worrying about the scheme.
 
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