Miami Dolphins: The Dez Bryant debate
Since being cut by the Cowboys, Dez Bryant has been the biggest name on the market. Should the Miami Dolphins give him a look?
Anyone who is in Miami Dolphins circles on social media surely has seen posts regarding the team possibly adding Dez Bryant. While most fans agree that the team should pass on him, there are still quite a few people who disagree. I believe this a syndrome of people falling in love with a name over the players current ability.
We all know that guy who would draft Adrian Peterson over Alvin Kamara this year in their fantasy football league. It’s probably the guy that finishes in last place too, exactly where the Dolphins don’t want to be.
The issue is while Bryant is the biggest name on the market, he’s far from the best the player. However, adding a defensive tackle who will eat up blockers or an offensive guard that can spring holes for running backs isn’t quite as appealing to the casual fan as a wide receiver who we have seen lead the league in touchdowns in previous years.
The main reason Miami shouldn’t and won’t sign Bryant is the same reason no one is signing him: He has overvalued himself. We’ve already seen him pass up an offer from the Baltimore Ravens and no one else appears overly interested. Teams aren’t going to pay him, and this seems especially true for the Dolphins.
They are working their way back from cap issues and have a deep receivers corps, all things considered. Bryant isn’t going to start over the much younger DeVante Parker or Kenny Stills on the outside and the team is set with guys like Albert Wilson, Danny Amendola and Jakeem Grant behind them.
This inevitably leads to the question, why doesn’t Bryant have value anymore? I’m not going the route of many and attacking his character. I don’t think that’s necessary or an accurate reason why the team shouldn’t sign him. It’s his ability and it’s his own fault. A receiver like Larry Fitzgerald has aged so well because he mastered his craft and is great at his position. The same can’t be said for Bryant.
Bryant was a physical freak coming into the NFL and it showed as he had a three-year stretch from 2012-14 when he put up eye-popping numbers, including 41 touchdowns. The problem is he relied so heavily on his physical ability. He had the size and athleticism and that was good enough. Now he’s pushing 30 and it’s not good enough anymore. Now he’s an aging for star with mediocre hands and subpar route tree. The subtle nuances of the position elude him and it shows on film.
Last season, Bryant put up the worse numbers of his career on a per game basis, despite being force-fed the ball. He caught just 69 of his 133 targets for a career-worst 12.1 yards per reception and only managed to get into the end zone six times. Now imagine if he’s in Miami and getting well under 100 targets. Why would they pay for that?
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Barring a major injury, the Dolphins will be rolling with who they’ve got at wide receiver and that’s exactly what they should do. So to all the fans who are calling for the team to sign Dez, it’s not going to happen and the team will be better off for it not happening.