When will the Dallas Cowboys get Dez Bryant some help?
By Carl Daley
After posting yet another lackluster season, when will the Dallas Cowboys finally get some real help for wide receiver Dez Bryant?
The Dallas Cowboys had some pretty productive receivers last season. However star wide receiver Dez Bryant struggled to string together consistent performances on the field.
Slot receiver Cole Beasley had the more productive season for the offense, leading the team in receptions with 75 catches for 833 yards and five touchdowns. Bryant recorded just 50 receptions for 796 yards and eight scores in 2016.
It was Bryant’s second straight season to finish with less than 1,000 receiving yards. And this could be because the team is truly missing a deep threat to take some of the pressure off of Dez.
Sure, we have all seen Bryant catch deep balls before. But he utilizes his physicality more than his speed. Terrance Williams is more of a finesse receiver than a speed guy and has struggled with consistency.
The team itself is lacking a pure deep threat wide receiver. However, they have added rookie Ryan Switzer who should prove to be the best punt returner this team has had in a while. It is possible Switzer lines up outside in certain formations at receiver but he is not a true deep threat, posting a pedestrian 4.51 forty time at the combine.
Depending on the performance of this receiving corps, the Cowboys could target a wide receiver in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Even if the team does not look to the draft, they could sign one of the more high profile free agents that could be around come March of 2018.
Wide receivers like Jarvis Landry, Taylor Gabriel, Mike Wallace, John Brown, and Donte Moncrief are all scheduled to become free agents. A player that can stretch the field would do wonders for the production of both Beasley and Bryant. So if the Cowboys offense regresses a bit this season, we should see the addition of some new wide receivers via the draft and/or free agency.
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Bryant has also struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons. Bonding with starting quarterback Dak Prescott and starting running back Ezekiel Elliott all offseason, Dez has fully embraced this new offense in Dallas. If the Cowboys are going to have a new crop of “Triplets” then they will need a healthy Bryant to lead that charge.