Dallas Cowboys: Should the Cowboys trade for Martavis Bryant?
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys may be looking to add another weapon to their offense. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant looks to be available.
The Dallas Cowboys may have missed out on the NaVorro Bowman sweepstakes however they may be looking to make other roster moves. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some interesting reports come out recently as it appears wide receiver, Martavis Bryant is reportedly looking to be traded.
Of course, contradictory reports have come out since then but that is typical of incidents like this. So the question now seems to be should the Dallas Cowboys look to explore the idea of adding Bryant to their roster?
It is no secret, the Dallas Cowboys need some extra firepower on offense especially with the recent suspension of Ezekiel Elliott. Cowboys star quarterback, Dak Prescott could use some extra firepower, especially now that he will be expected to carry the load.
There have been several issues battling this receiving corps but the main thing here is consistency. None of the Cowboys receivers have been all that consistent in any aspect of their game except for possibly, Dez Bryant. He is looked at as the Cowboys number one receiver and can make big plays in a heartbeat.
The play calling that dictates his value on the field may be inconsistent but typically we see at least one big catch from Dez during your typical game. After Bryant, the rest of the Dallas Cowboys receiving corps is extremely sporadic in their output.
Terrance Williams is the prime example of this as every other receiver on the roster has been more reliable. Does that mean Williams is completely ineffective? Of course not, but he is not the clear number two receiver in this offense.
Typically most NFL offenses have a wide receiver capable of being a deep threat, and while Dez is sometimes seen as this guy he is not a pure speed player. Williams is more of a possession receiver, and Cole Beasley is their quick route receiver, even Ryan Switzer has a role as a gadget player but the one thing missing is that pure down the field threat.
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That is where Martavis comes in, he is that guy and realistically will not get the targets he deserves while he is in Pittsburgh. Steelers veteran quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger is beginning to show his age however he is still an effective signal caller.
The main problem is a number of mouths he has to feed. Anytime you are competing with the best wide receiver in the NFL (Antonio Brown) for targets, more often than not you will come out on the losing end of that battle.
After all Big Ben has a tremendous rapport with AB and it shows on the football field. But Brown is not the only player Bryant has to worry about, both Eli Rogers and Darrius Heyward-Bey have been pushing for more targets over the last two seasons.
Rogers is now active and will actively steal more targets away from Bryant. The final nail in the coffin had to be the emergence of rookie JuJu-Smith Schuster who has looked pretty terrific in the early goings of the 2017 season.
He will be the future at the receiving position for the Steelers and that could leave Bryant in a very awkward position. Thus, the trade rumors have sprouted and actually make a lot of sense.
For Dallas, Bryant would give this offense a dynamic that it has not had in quite some time. Martavis is actually 6’4 which is taller than Dez (6’2) but has a skinnier frame and excels at running deep routes.
When you actually compare the two so far this season the similarities are uncanny and from just a production standpoint that should be a little concerning for Dez fans. So far the Cowboys star wide receiver this year has accumulated 21 receptions, 264 receiving yards, 12.6 yards per reception, and three touchdowns.
In comparison, Martavis Bryant has 17 receptions, 231 receiving yards, a 13.6 yards per reception average, and a touchdown in six games. That is without Bryant really being integrated into the Steelers offense.
Defenses would struggle to defend both players and it would open up a lot more room for Beasley down the middle. Both Bryant’s would have a positive impact on one another right away as red zone coverage for opposing defenses would be a nightmare.
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The price for Martavis is currently unknown but it cannot be more than a second-round pick as the Steelers have barely utilized him all season long. If the Cowboys can acquire such a talent at such a small cost, it would be worth looking into especially now that the NFC is wide open.