Tag: Dez Bryant

Jamal Adams wouldn’t mind sharing the field with Dez Bryant

Jamal Adams is interested in taking the field with former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Jamal Adams is interested in teaming up with wide receiver Dez Bryant.

The Jets safety made that known Monday after the former Cowboys wide receiver tweeted that he’d entertain the idea of a reunion with Dallas and could have a role similar to the one Jason Witten had last season. Bryant also said that he wants to play with Ezekiel Elliot, Tony Pollard, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb and Blake Jarwin.

Adams took notice of Bryant’s tweet and responded by saying that he’d “take the field with [Bryant] in a heartbeat.”

Clearly, Adams has an affection for Bryant’s style. However, there are some concerns with Bryant. He tore his achilles in November 2018 in a practice with the Saints and has yet to take the field since then.

Once a true No. 1 wideout, Bryant is not the same player he once was with the Cowboys. He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season or at least 10 touchdown catches since 2014.

While the Jets do need a No. 1 receiver, Bryant is not that guy anymore at age 31. The Jets also have to lock up one of their own receivers in Robby Anderson before looking externally. New York can add a young and cheaper receiver in the draft, too.

It wouldn’t hurt the Jets to sign Bryant as a depth piece similar to what Demaryius Thomas was in 2019, but Adams shouldn’t hold his breath waiting for a chance to team up in New York.

Dez Bryant lobbies for return to Cowboys in ‘role they gave Witten’

The former Dallas wideout wants to return to the team under new coach Mike McCarthy, and he’s taking to social media to make his case.

There are suddenly lots of new faces around The Star in Frisco and just as the recent coaching churn quiets down, it will be time for free agency. More new faces. Then the draft. More new faces. Suffice it to say that when the 2020 season finally rolls around, this Cowboys team will look drastically different. But there’s one familiar face out there hoping he can be one of the “new guys” for Year One of the McCarthy era.

Dez Bryant wants to throw up the X in Dallas again.

The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver is currently a free agent, having been let go by the Cowboys in 2018 after eight seasons. Nine weeks into the 2019 campaign, he signed with the New Orleans Saints, only to rupture his Achilles tendon during his second practice session with the team. He’s spent the time since rehabbing with an eye toward making an NFL return, and now with Jason Garrett out as Cowboys coach, Bryant is lobbying hard to make a return to Dallas.

Bryant’s tweet on Sunday certainly raised a few eyebrows and started the wheels turning for more than a few fans, including Ezekiel Elliott’s mom.

Also chiming in was Jets safety Jamal Adams. Many believed the Cowboys should have traded for Adams prior to 2019’s deal deadline. They tried, but were unsuccessful. Some feel that the team should make another run at him during this offseason, as the position remains a weakness. The league’s top safety- a Texas native himself who has made no bones about the attractiveness of playing in Dallas- tantalized fans with the notion of being teammates with Bryant, presumably (though not explicitly) while wearing a Cowboys uniform.

It’s a fun idea to noodle over, even if it’s far-fetched.

If you’re going to really “think about it,” as Bryant suggests, the first thing to consider is what Bryant actually meant by “the role they gave Witten.”

Sign Bryant to play tight end? Bryant has always been athletic and has kept himself in fighting shape, according to the workout videos he posts often on social media.

But to think that Mike McCarthy, in the midst of the countless changes he’s already bringing to the Cowboys, is going to sign a 31-year-old wide receiver with a repaired Achilles, 750-plus days since his last NFL reception- and redesign the entire offense just to line him up at tight end- borders on absurd.

Could Bryant play tight end? Maybe technically. But Bryant last measured in at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. Jason Witten is 6-foot-6 and weighs 263. Blake Jarwin is 6-foot-5, 260. The numbers don’t add up; Bryant isn’t the next Cowboys tight end.

But was Dez referring to something else when he mentioned Witten’s role?

In his first season back after a one-year retirement, Witten was expected to take fewer snaps on the field. Or that’s how it was sold, with the theory that he would serve largely as a mentor to the promising backup Jarwin, subbing in to provide multiple looks and giving defenses another weapon to worry about in key situations.

Witten ended up being on the field for 75 percent of Dallas’s offensive snaps, compared to just 38 percent for Jarwin. So that role sort never played out in real life, due in part to Witten’s competitive nature that no doubt made it hard for him to stay on the sideline, but also in part because of Garrett’s long relationship and loyalty to the future Hall of Famer.

For his part, the 11-time Pro Bowler hasn’t ruled out coming back for a 17th NFL season, and he hasn’t said it would have to be as a Cowboy. With Garrett gone, Witten’s spot on the Dallas roster isn’t cemented. And were he to return, his normal amount of playing time isn’t guaranteed. As Bryant said, “no shot at Witten,” but the 37-year-old is no longer producing as an elite tight end. Most weeks, truth be told, he didn’t even look like the best tight end on the Cowboys.

All of that is to suggest that Bryant offering his discounted services as what 2019 Witten was supposed to be: a motivator in the locker room, an example on the practice field, and a veteran leader on the sideline… who also takes a handful of snaps and provides a legitimate threat in a few creative personnel packages alongside the other players he listed in his tweet… well, that idea has some merit.

But whether the team would welcome him back is another matter.

Bryant was typically vocal as he left Dallas. While he has deep affection for owner Jerry Jones, he was less than complementary of players like Sean Lee, who still commands respect with most guys on the roster. And after the kid-gloves treatment that the front office gave to Garrett throughout their amicable divorce, inviting his loudest critic back for a second tour of duty in the building may prove to be more headache than help.

Ultimately, it will be McCarthy who almost assuredly has the only say. While Bryant and McCarthy were on opposing ends of one of the most infamous plays in Cowboys history, there’s no indication that the new coach would be eager for a reunion.

“I said after the game, ‘That was one hell of an athletic play.’ I was impressed,” McCarthy said of Bryant’s goal-line grab in 2015’s NFC Divisional Round against the Packers. “It was a great catch, I can say now. But it wasn’t then, technically.”

Dez caught it in 2015. But that doesn’t mean he’ll catch the break he’s looking for as he pleads for a 2020 return to the Cowboys.

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With McCarthy officially in, Garrett era ends to mixed reactions from players

Several Dallas Cowboys who played wither with or for Jason Garrett reacted to news that he had been let go by the team Sunday night.

On Wednesday, Jerry Jones ushered in a new era of Cowboys head coaching, introducing Mike McCarthy as the ninth leader in Dallas franchise history. During the press conference, he referenced his reverence for the man leaving the post, Jason Garrett, and how found he was of the man and his family.

Jones noted that since he’s owned the team, starting in 1989, there’s only been two seasons where a Garrett wasn’t under his employ, starting with John Garrett, a long-time member of the scouting department and then with Jason’s playing career. Jones hasn’t been the only one waxing poetic about Garrett’s tenure ending, as his players – past and present – chimed in as well.

Word came down during the NFC Wild Card game- the one Dallas had hoped to be playing in- that the Cowboys had officially moved on from Garrett. After nine and a half roller-coaster seasons and one supremely bizarre week, the man in charge on the sidelines was no longer with the team.

In the hours that followed, many of the men who played for and with him were quick to share their support, gratitude, and- in some cases- other general reaction to the news.

Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods wasn’t able to stick on the roster in Tennessee, but found a home in Dallas under Garrett’s watch. He has seen action in 25 games over his two seasons as a Cowboy.

Fifth-year journeyman Justin March bounced around from Kansas City to Miami to Seattle before landing on the Cowboys linebacker corps early in the 2017 season. Garrett often praised players who showed “relentless spirit;” March reflected on that same quality in his former coach on Sunday night.

Special teams assistant Phillip Tanner spent time under Garrett as a running back and special teams player from 2011 through the 2013 season. In 2019, Garrett welcomed him back to Dallas, naming Tanner to the coaching staff as a special teams assistant.

Garrett’s release wasn’t a surprise, of course. Some players were asked about the seemingly-inevitable change in the moments that immediately followed the Week 17 game against Washington that ended their 8-8 season.

“It’s going to be hard,” running back Ezekiel Elliott told reporters on December 29. “Change is always hard. But we have a great group of men in this locker room. Not too worried. We’ve got a lot of vets, a lot of great players. I think we’ll be all right.”

Even though Elliott’s remarks reinforce the notion that the writing had been on the wall in Dallas for some time, it took another full week for ownership to officially sever ties with Garrett. Whether that seven-day standoff was more about owner Jerry Jones doing some true soul searching or just masterful news-cycle manipulating is up for debate.

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman worked closely with Garrett during his playing days in Dallas and still considers him a friend. In the matter of how Garrett’s release was handled by his ex-employer during a week that started with vague speculation and mixed messages about showing Garrett “respect” yet ended with new coaching candidates being interviewed while Garrett was still in the building, Aikman sided with his former backup.

“He committed everything he had to the organization and to doing the best job that he could,” Aikman said of Garrett in an interview with Mike Doocy of Fox 4 in Dallas. “He made it a priority, and he committed himself. Breakups are always hard- we all understand that, at whatever level they occur- but I don’t know that after all that he gave and committed to this organization, that he received the same in return. When the organization was unwilling for whatever reasons- and I don’t know the backstories to it all- but when the organization was unwilling to come out publicly and say that, ‘We are seeking a new coach,’ and yet at the same time, reports are coming out that they’re interviewing potential new candidates for the head coaching position, that’s disappointing. I think, in a lot of ways, it shines a light on some of the dysfunction, if you will, within the organization and kind of how they got to the point that they’re in now.”

Former NFL lineman Uche Nwaneri had a similarly bold take on the culture in Dallas, as laid out in a Reddit thread in which he blasts the “alternate universe” that Garrett helped the front office sell to players “in which the Cowboys were defending Super Bowl champs.”

Not everyone connected to Garrett during his time with the franchise was sympathetic to how his tenure finally ended. Wideout Dez Bryant has been a vocal critic of the 53-year-old coach ever since he was released by the Cowboys in 2018 after eight seasons.

Bryant and Garrett had a tumultuous relationship, so his comments are not exactly surprising. How prescient he is about the Cowboys automatically becoming “real contenders” simply by breaking up with Jason Garrett remains to be seen.

That onus now falls on McCarthy to take the baton and get the franchise across the finish line.

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Mike McCarthy presser entertaining, light on details of plans for Cowboys

A summary of head coach Mike McCarthy’s introductory press conference with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Mike McCarthy press conference to introduce him as the ninth head coach in the history of the Dallas Cowboys was more entertaining than it was informative. It was a certainly stark difference to the previous regime’s talking points, but it’s early on and the honeymoon glow is still abound.

The press conference was well attended, not only by the media which was out in force, but by some of the players currently on the roster and it didn’t take long for McCarthy to show emotion, choking up almost immediately.

The gravity of the situation isn’t lost on him, referencing his previous stop as head coach of the Green Bay Packers to explain how he knows what the expectation is for football in Dallas. McCarthy went on to call the Dallas Cowboys “the most iconic franchise in professional sports.”

The word was mum when it came to officially naming staff and game plans, though several names have been bandied about.  The main thing everyone wants to know is whether or not the team will switch to a 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, but McCarthy indicated that will all be revealed when they officially announce the coaching staff.

As for the staff, owner Jerry Jones clearly knows the chatter among the fan base, that he’s been too heavily involved in building the coaching staffs in recent memory and he was explicit in stating he wanted McCarthy to pick his own.

 

It wouldn’t be a press conference in Dallas without a mention of Jason Garrett, who, even as he was being ousted, remained as classy as ever. He gave rave reviews of his successor, telling Jones “you’re not going to meet anybody more special than Mike.”

Jones spoke lovingly, not only of his previous coach, but the entire Garrett family, noting that he’s written a check to a Garrett in some form or fashion for 28 of his 30 years in the league as he has worked with both his father and his brother through his tenure.

The highlight of the press conference came when the timeless question was posed to McCarthy: Did Dez catch it? It drew laughs from those in attendance and was answered as diplomatically as possible, saying “It was a great catch, I can say now. It wasn’t then, technically.”

He referenced asking referee Gene Steratore what the rule was at the time which Jerry Jones took umbrage with it capping it off with:

There will be more news in the coming days regarding actual football related material that will be covered in depth here at the Cowboys Wire. But for now, enjoy what is the beginning of a long ride.

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Did Dez catch it? New Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy gives diplomatic answer

The former Packers coach gave the correct response to the question: “Did Dez catch it?”

Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy went the diplomatic route when asked the most important question of his introductory press conference in Dallas on Wednesday.

Did Dez Bryant catch it?

The question is, of course, referring to the controversial end of the 2014 NFC Divisional Round game between the Packers and Cowboys. Bryant’s late catch was reversed by a McCarthy challenge, and the Packers, who led 26-21 at the time, went on to beat the Cowboys and advance to the NFC title game.

McCarthy initially applauded Bryant for an incredible display of athleticism, crediting him for going up and over Packers cornerback Sam Shields to attempt to catch the ball. McCarthy also revealed that a conversation with referee Gene Steratore about the exact definition of a catch and logistics of the review eventually pushed the Packers coach to challenge the call on the field.

Then, he finally answered the question.

“It was a great catch, I can say now, but it wasn’t then, technically,” McCarthy, the new Cowboys coach, said.

It was a clever answer that should satisfy both sides of the argument.

Video evidence doesn’t lie: Bryant briefly lost control of the ball as he hit the ground, with part of the ball hitting the ground.

By the rulebook definition of a catch in January of 2015, it wasn’t a catch, as the replay decision reflected. Would it have been a catch in January of 2020? Possibly.

McCarthy later joked that the Cowboys and the league’s competition committee helped get the definition of a catch changed.

A Packers coach for 13 years, McCarthy was out of football in 2019 but will now take over a Cowboys team that went 8-8 in their last season under former coach Jason Garrett.

Dez Bryant took a swipe at Jason Garrett after Cowboys firing

“The Cowboys just became real contenders.”

The Dallas Cowboys finally moved on from head coach Jason Garrett on Sunday and waited little time to hire his replacement in former Packers coach Mike McCarthy. But don’t expect Dez Bryant to feel sorry for his now-unemployed former coach.

As the news of Garrett’s firing hit social media — which, of course, was during the Eagles’ playoff game with Seattle — Bryant took to Twitter to offer his reaction to Jerry Jones’ decision. Let’s just say that Bryant was happy to see it.

He tweeted that he didn’t have any sympathy for Garrett, adding that the Cowboys were finally real contenders.

The tweet was obviously posted before the McCarthy hire, so we’ll have to see if Bryant still feels that way. But Bryant has long been a critic of Garrett’s, especially after his release in April of 2018.

When Bryant got called out for kicking Garrett “when he’s down,” the former Cowboys receiver responded that he was being nice and could have added more.

Bryant last played in the NFL in 2017. He signed with the Saints in 2018 but tore his Achilles in practice, costing him both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

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Dez Bryant goes to bat for Eli Manning: How can anyone hate him?

Long-time Eli Manning rival, Dez Brant, went to bat for the two-time Super Bowl MVP on New Year’s Eve.

With Eli Manning’s time with the New York Giants coming to a close and the potential for retirement on the horizon, the debate over his Hall of Fame edibility has hit a fever pitch.

Every time you turn around, someone new is throwing their hat into the ring and either making a case for or against Eli.

That trend continued on Tuesday night just moments before ringing in the new year when former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant threw some shade at the Manning haters.

Bryant’s comments came after a late-night debate with fans and other blue check-marks in which the topic of Manning vs. Baker Mayfield came up.

Eli’s former NFC East rival pondered aloud if reuniting Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. in Cleveland would be a smart move for the struggling franchise.

Whatever you think of Manning in Cleveland or even Bryant’s mere suggestion that it would work, it’s pretty cool to see a man squared off with Eli twice per season for such a long time showing him some legitimate love.

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Dez Bryant lists Saints, Ravens among the teams he’d like to try out for

Ex-Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant named the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs among teams he’d like to play for.

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Last year’s Achilles injury sidelined Dez Bryant for longer than expected, and now the one-time New Orleans Saints wide receiver is looking towards next season. Bryant shared a cup of coffee with the Saints before going down in Nov. 2018, and before that he spent eight years with the Dallas Cowboys — appearing in 116 games (including the playoffs), catching 546 passes for 7,677 receiving yards and scoring 75 touchdowns along the way. It stands to reason that if he gets his body right, some receiver-needy team could take a shot on him at some point.

And he’d like to try out for the Saints again, if given the opportunity. When asked by a fan on Twitter whether he’d consider reuniting with the Cowboys, Bryant responded, “Yep for next year,” before listing squads he’d be interested in joining such as the Saints, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs. Naturally, all of those teams are positioned to compete for a Super Bowl title.

Bryant added that he could see himself helping a team as “deadly weapon in the red zone” after putting in the work to train for it. But he’s spent the last year rehabbing a surgically-repaired Achilles tendon, and at 31 years of age, it kind of feels like any interested teams would have brought him in already. But at least he’s remaining optimistic about his chances of starring in the NFL again.

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Dez Bryant tweets he’d be interested in returning to Cowboys in 2020

The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of offseason needs that will rise to the surface in short order. With their season likely set to expire following the Week 17 game against Washington, Dallas has an unprecedented 24 free agents they’ll have to either …

The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of offseason needs that will rise to the surface in short order. With their season likely set to expire  following the Week 17 game against Washington, Dallas has an unprecedented 24 free agents they’ll have to either re-sign or replace.

One former player may be interested in finding a role with the only team he’s suited up for. Wideout Dez Bryant responded to a fan inquiry by stating he’d be interested in joining back up with Dallas after sitting out all of 2018 and 2019 due to various ailments.

Bryant is currently the team’s all-time touchdown reception leader with 73, playing for Dallas from 2010 through 2017. He was released in free agency of 2018 and worked to build his health back up. During the season, he signed with the New Orleans Saints, but tore his achilles in a Friday practice before making his debut. He sat out this year but has spent it regularly engaged on Twitter while working out diligently to prepare for a comeback.

Would Dallas be interested in bringing Bryant back? As he mentions in the tweet, he’s been one of the best red-zone threats the NFL has seen. It certainly would be some reunion after the way he and the team parted ways.

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Seahawks feel set at wide receiver even after loss of Josh Gordon

The Seattle Seahawks are comfortable with the six receivers they have, even after losing Josh Gordon to another suspension for drug abuse.

The Seattle Seahawks receiving corps took a big hit earlier this week when it was announced that Josh Gordon would be suspended, yet again, for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

However, despite losing their No. 3 receiver, who had a spectacular 59-yard catch against the Panthers in his final game, coach Pete Carroll isn’t too worried about the depth at that position going forward – although he stuck with his mantra about the team always looking for ways to get better.

“We’re always looking, but I like our guys,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “We had seven guys active last week, so we’re still in good shape at this point. We’re always looking.”

The loss of Gordon will shift David Moore back into the No. 3 receiver role, and increases the role of both Jaron Brown and Malik Turner.

Rookie John Ursua was active last week as well, and could continue to be a part of the 46-man active roster this season.

Considering the team’s confidence in Moore and Turner, it does seem unlikely they will pursue any additions to their receiving group – although intriguing names like Dez Bryant and Antonio Brown will certainly at least merit a phone call.

For now, the Seahawks will go into Week 16 against the Cardinals with the six receivers they have, looking to pad their lead in the crowded NFC playoff picture.

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