Report: ‘No connecting dots’ between Dez Bryant, Saints

The New Orleans Saints have not expressed interest in ex-Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, and that hasn’t changed after Michael Thomas’s injury.

[jwplayer ZrW4tn7l-ThvAeFxT]

Knowing that the New Orleans Saints would have superstar wide receiver Michael Thomas on the mend for a few weeks, some have wondered if the team would consider bringing Dez Bryant back to town for another shot after his 2018 debut was derailed by an Achilles injury. Bryant has remained a Saints fan and rooted for them to beat his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, in last year’s matchup.

Those fires were stoked when Bryant was spotted working out at a public park in a New Orleans Pelicans jersey (Zion Williamson’s, of course). He obviously took to the city and team culture right away, but Saints coach Sean Payton has reacted mildly when asked if a reunion with Bryant could be in the cards.

And now a report from NFL Network’s Jane Slater may have put this speculation to rest. Slater is tight with both the Cowboys and the Saints, frequently representing NFL Network at training camp, and after inquiring with her sources she reported that there isn’t any interest here.

That shouldn’t shock anyone. The Saints are in a much better position to play without Thomas now than the last time he missed a game, thanks to free agent investments like Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook. Their wide receivers depth chart is still fairly deep even without Thomas at the top, and Sanders has a history of impressing against their next opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders.

There are reasons to feel optimistic that Thomas being sidelined is a storm the Saints can weather, and Bryant’s presence would not change that. Hopefully he finds his way back to the NFL sooner or later, giving his impressive Cowboys career the coda it deserves. It just may not happen with the Saints.

[vertical-gallery id=37913]