With training camps already in full swing, and the season-opener less than six weeks away, time is running out for former Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant to find a new team. His employer waived the wide receiver after eight seasons.
The 29-year-old is has been looking for a new organization since mid-April, but there has been tepid interest in the All-Pro. Bovada has posted odds on where Bryant will land, with the Cleveland Browns the favorite at -150. The New York Giants are next at +450, with the Tennessee Titans at +500.
The lack of interest in Bryant could be two fold. The first is his health. He suffered a broken foot in 2015, and had a hairline fracture in his knee in 2016. Though he returned apparently healthy for the 2017 season, his numbers were significantly lower than before he suffered the injuries. Bryant caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns last season.
The second is Bryant’s reputation as a difficult teammate. He has been seen blasting coaches on social media and lashing out at others he believes have hampered his career.
Turning on Former Teammates
His latest posts on Twitter can’t be helping his cause. He accused the Cowboys management of making him a scapegoat for the team’s offense woes last season. He posted on Friday that he wasn’t the problem.
“Here we go with that scapegoat (expletive). I charged everything to the game went the other way … y’all know what the real problem is … don’t put it on me with that (expletive) garbage (expletive) play calling. Everybody lined up in the same spot for 17 weeks,” Bryant wrote.
Not satisfied with torching the offensive play calling, he next went after his former owner, Jerry Jones, and teammates center Travis Frederick and linebacker Sean Lee.
“Jerry was the only one who was clueless,” he wrote. “[It] was planned to get me out, ask Travis [Frederick] and my brother snake Lee I mean Sean Lee,” Bryant wrote seven minutes later.
Suitors Still Out There
Despite his verbal jousting, Bryant is getting attention from teams. Cleveland’s GM John Dorsey has discussed signing Bryant with the franchise executives.
“He is a very talented player,” Dorsey was quoted as saying by the Browns website. “Now, we will see what comes to fruition the next couple of days, but we talk about it. You have to talk about these things.”
Bryant has not said publically whether he would be agreeable to playing with the Browns, who have won one game in two seasons. They did draft quarterback Baker Mayfield, and signed Tyrod Taylor from the Buffalo Bills.
His first desire was to go to a team in the Cowboys division, but the only one who has shown any interest has been the Giants. They seemed to have cooled to that idea the past few weeks.
One receiver who would love to have Bryant on his team is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Antonio Brown had a post on Twitter on Sunday enticing his contemporary to join him.
“Come play with me @dezbryant let’s get the chip … Eat greedy … Big Plates,” Brown wrote.
Bryant didn’t seem to shoot the idea down. He retweeted Brown’s message.
