Dallas Cowboys: Dez Bryant should be traded or released

The Dallas Cowboys just got eliminated from the playoffs and a lot of the turnovers forced in that game happened because of one man, Dez Bryant.

The Dallas Cowboys just got eliminated from playoff contention and a large reason for that was Dez Bryant’s inability to catch the football. Bryant has had some big games with a star on his helmet but none of those games have come in 2017.

It seemed silly to think Dez was passed his prime when there are other older and more productive wide receivers still in the league but his play as of late seems to suggest otherwise.

In what was basically a playoff game, Dez Bryant’s play against the Seattle Seahawks and really all season was very uninspired. He does not finish plays and his intensity seems misplaced.

More from Dallas Cowboys

Have your number one wide receiver only catch two/three passes per contest for 43 yards is not the way to win football games. Dez got stripped this afternoon after a Seahawks defender merely punched the ball out of his arms.

That fumble started what was a catastrophic collapse on a day that should have had Dallas Cowboy fans rejoicing. Dez let another ball bounce off of his hands and into the air, which has happened a lot this season and has really help build up Dak Prescott’s interception total.

Tipped balls happen, but Dez now has a habit of slapping the ball up in the air (typically) into the waiting arms of a defender. Bryant’s miscues led to two turnovers in which the Seahawks scored. Most of Seattle’s points came from turnovers and that is on the Cowboys plain and simple (mostly on Dez).

If you are thinking to yourself ok he had one bad game let’s not get crazy, he has been like this all season and even most of the time in 2016 (we just did not notice). He has become less and less of a factor in this offense and more of a liability.

Bryant is not only an unreliable target, he is ridiculously expensive. His cap hit this season was $17 million and his cap hit in 2018 will rest at $16.5 million. 2018 is also the year that Dez turns 30 and will be a potential free agent after that season.

The Cowboys need to get something for Dez now. For a while, we could live with blow-up games every now and then but now he is actually detracting from what is a pretty sound offense.

First, it was his ability to un-catch a ball in Green Bay, now he is giving the game away to the Seahawks. I am not saying Bryant is not a good receiver necessarily however in the Cowboys system he does not belong on the roster anymore.

When Brice Butler and other players could be more productive than your number one wide receiver, fundamentally, there is a problem with the way your team is built. The Cowboys should settle for a draft pick in terms of what it would take to send Bryant to greener pastures (preferably a first rounder).

That way the Dallas Cowboys can build for the future and move on from an archaic piece of their past. Drafting a top-tier offensive lineman and a new number one wide receiver should be priorities for the team heading into the offseason.

Bryant gets frustrated with the way the media handles him and his performance, but realistically it is time to take a look in the mirror. Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, even AJ Green and Mike Evans who are in bad offenses are legitimate number one receivers, Bryant is not.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: Gene Steratore, you are forgiven

This is a trend that has been following Bryant for at least three seasons, now it could be time for the Cowboys to finally pull the trigger. If the Cowboys can free up the cap space locked down by Dez they could help other areas of this team, and help Dak Prescott in the long run.

Home/Dallas Cowboys