Dez Bryant would rather 'be with Cowboys' than another team
The Dallas Cowboys rank 30th in the NFL in passing.
Only the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills, which both start rookie quarterbacks, generate fewer passing yards per game than the paltry 166.5-yard average posted by Dak Prescott’s offense.
Dez Bryant wants to return to Cowboys
In completely unrelated news, Dez Bryant still does not have a job. After being cut in Dallas, the former Cowboys Pro Bowl receiver reportedly turned down a three-year, $21 million offer from the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason and has not inked a deal since.
Prompted about his career plans on Twitter on Tuesday, Bryant let his wishes be known. He wants to return to Dallas.
I’ll rather it be the Dallas Cowboys if not I’ll be ready to play somewhere else https://t.co/IRUmDXMZa7
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) October 2, 2018
It appears that Dallas’ decision to cut Bryant late in the offseason, which limited his signing opportunities, is not a point of contention for Bryant. He wants to have that star on his helmet again.
Cowboys need help in passing game
Whether the Cowboys would consider signing Bryant is not known, but they certainly need some help in the passing game. A receiving group led by Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley doesn’t exactly strike fear into opposing defenses.
Of course if you listen to Beasley, the team’s ineptitude through the air lies on Prescott more than the receivers.
“We’re just getting open. That’s all we can do,” Beasley told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last week. “If you watch the tape, that’s all you’ve got to do. A lot of people aren’t watching the tape. They’re just assuming. That’s fine.”
Dak Prescott’s regression since rookie year continues
The truth of the matter is that the team could use upgrades in all facets of the passing game. It’s clear at this point that the Cowboys made a massive mistake falling in love with Prescott during his rookie season and cutting a proven commodity in four-time Pro Bowler Tony Romo.
Prescott regressed from his 2016 104.9 passer rating that earned him rookie of the year honors to an 86.0 rating in 2017. His yards per game dropped from 229.2 to 207.8. He’s only looked worse this season, Sunday’s solid performance against the Detroit Lions not withstanding.
The Cowboys put the pieces together to have an overwhelming offense with the best offensive line in the game and one of the game’s top young running backs in Ezekiel Elliott and handed the keys to Prescott when Tony Romo suffered a back injury in the 2016 preseason.
When Prescott didn’t wreck the car, Jerry Jones decided time was up for Romo. Since then, Prescott has looked the part of a thoroughly middling NFL quarterback, and that brief window for the Cowboys looks closed.
Would Bryant help the Cowboys?
Which brings us back to Bryant. Romo and Bryant had a connection that led to Bryant being one of the game’s dominant weapons that saw him eclipse 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns for three straight seasons from 2012-14.
In two seasons playing with Prescott, Bryant didn’t catch more than 838 yards or eight touchdowns. How much of that lies on Prescott and how much is Bryant’s regression is not clear. We’ve not seen Bryant play anywhere else.
Prescott’s lack of a connection with any other receivers indicates that some of Bryant’s decreased production falls on him.
What is clear is that we know what Dallas looks like with Prescott and Bryant playing together. The Cowboys need a lot more help than Bryant can provide to get that passing game on track.
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