Dez Bryant Wants To Play For Cowboys
Recently, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones‘ phone has been blowing up with texts from Dez Bryant, who is hoping to reunite with his former club. This week, Bryant directly confirmed his desire to sign with the Cowboys. 
[RELATED: Cowboys VP On Dez Bryant]
“Of course, that’s home,” Bryant told the local FOX affiliate (via USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes). “That’s home. And potentially being able to play with Dak [Prescott], [Ezekiel Elliott], Amari Cooper, Randall Cobb, Michael Gallup, those guys, [Blake] Jarwin – I think that would be great. I understand that’s their team, but I feel like they have the right pieces to go to the Super Bowl, and I feel like I can help be a part of that, if possible. But every night, I’m just working, grinding, trying to get on that field either way.”
On the verge of what would be his age-32 season and a couple seasons removed from his last NFL game, Bryant is taking a realistic approach to free agency this time around. Once one of the league’s most notable wide receivers, he seems aware of the NFL’s perception of him with regards to his age, late-career decline, rust, and personality.
Bryant was a three-time Pro Bowler in Dallas with three-straight seasons of at least 1,200 yards. After his impressive run, he inked a five-year, $70MM contract with the Cowboys. That’s when things started to tail off – Bryant was limited to nine games in ’15 and underwent ankle and foot surgeries in the offseason. In 2016, he bounced back with a career-high 15.9 yards per grab, though the catch and yardage totals were not as gaudy as his best ones. In 2017, he started in all 16 regular season games, but his production did not match the contract. The Cowboys cut him in the following April – crummy timing that resulted in tepid interest at his asking price.
Heavily criticized for rejecting a three-year, $21MM offer from the Ravens, Bryant sat until the midpoint of the season when he signed a low-cost one-year deal with the Saints. Soon after, he ruptured his Achilles tendon.
After dedicating the 2019 season to rehab and training, Bryant is anxious to retake the field. However, he says he won’t consider the XFL.
“Nah, not at all,” said Bryant when asked about Vince McMahon’s reboot. “I know I can still play. That’s not an issue for me. I have high confidence in myself. No disrespect to the XFL, I just know I can play in (the NFL), that’s not a question.”
Poll: Who Is The Best Unrestricted Free Agent QB This Offseason?
As teams gear up for an offseason of roster maneuvering, teams are beginning to the arduous process of lining up their salary caps to retain key players on expiring contracts, sign free agents, and their draft picks. Teams are forced to make especially difficult salary-cap decisions when they have a chance at an elite player through free agency.
While many of the top players currently set for free agency will surely sign an extension with their current team or receive either the franchise or transition tag, it is always a fun exercise to examine who is currently the best player set to be available through unrestricted free agency.
It’s no secret that this year’s offseason will be dominated by quarterback storylines. Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Teddy Bridgewater are all set to be unrestricted free agents and had success as starters last season. Yet, none of them have the pedigree of future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the 
combination of youth and sustained success like Dak Prescott, or match the recent performance of Ryan Tannehill.
Brady has obviously asserted himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time over his Patriots career, but he will be 43 before the start of next season and looked abnormally average at the close of this season. New England finished the season with back-to-back losses to finish out the regular season (against the 5-11 Dolphins) and in the first round of the playoffs (at home against the Titans).
Brady played a role in both losses, completing just 36 of his 66 attempts (good for a 54.5% completion percentage) for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, Brady amassed over 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season and produced his best touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 to 8) since 2017.
Brees is in a similar boat. He’ll be 41 next season, but just led the league in completion percentage for the third consecutive season and posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. With that said, the Saints did not look much different in the 5 games Brees missed early in the season with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.
Prescott has been surrounded by the hoopla of quarterbacking America’s Team, but the Cowboys signal-caller has taken consistent strides under the bright lights. At just 26 last season, Prescott fell just 98 yards shy of reaching the 5000-yard mark. He set a career-high with 30 touchdown throws and even while throwing a career-high 596 attempts, was sacked a career-low 23 times.
Of course, unlike Brees and Brady, Prescott has yet to reach the historic status they both already have. In fact, Prescott has yet to play in a conference championship game. Furthermore, his career year this season came while Dallas struggled to an 8-8 record in a wide-open NFC East. Does he deserve credit for performing despite a difficult surrounding, or was he responsible for the team’s struggles?
Finally, one of the most interesting stories of the season surrounded the quarterback position in Tennessee. Many around the league scoffed when the Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. It seemed like they were just replacing one disappointing quarterback with another. However, the once highly regarded prospect led the Titans to a 7-3 surge to close the regular season, upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs, and almost upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Tannehill threw for 2742 yards in just 10 regular season starts, throwing 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6) and quarterback rating (117.5) while helping young wideout A.J. Brown emerge as one of the best receivers in football. However, it’s fair to wonder how much of Tannehill’s success was a side-effect of a fantastic run game (led by Derrick Henry) and his receivers (like Brown). With the shortest resume of the group, Tannehill surely represents the largest risk but may have one of the highest rewards.
With all that said, what do you think? Who is the best unrestricted free agent quarterback this offseason? Submit your answer in the poll below and voice in your opinion in the comments.
Cowboys’ Sean Lee To Play In 2020
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee will play in 2020, agent Mike McCartney tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The only question that remains is where the 33-year-old (34 in July) will play. 
Lee is scheduled for free agency in March and the Cowboys have yet to decide whether they want to bring the veteran back for another season. First, they’ll have to address other priorities, including a potential extension for star quarterback Dak Prescott. McCartney says that Lee intends on exploring his options on the open market, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see the two sides reach a deal in the coming weeks.
Lee has spent his entire pro career in Dallas. A second-round pick in 2010, Lee cracked the starting lineup in 2011 and notched 104 total tackles. In 2013, he came away with four interceptions and ran them the other way for a league-high 174 yards. Still, injuries have hampered him throughout the years. Out of 160 possible regular season games, Lee has played in just 109 contests. That includes a 2014 season that was completely wiped out by a torn ACL and the trying 2017 and 2018 seasons which saw just 18 combined appearances.
Late last year, Lee left the Cowboys with a solid impression – he tallied double-digit tackles in two of his final five games, including a 17-stop showing in their Week 16 game against the Eagles. Still, after the Cowboys dropped four of their final six, they’re taking a hard look at every position on the roster.
In 2019, Lee finished out with 86 stops, one interception, one sack, and four passes defensed. It also marked the first ever complete 16-game slate of his career.
Dak Prescott Not Asking For $40MM AAV
Dak Prescott‘s second contract has been a front-burner matter in NFL news cycles for nearly a year, but the Cowboys and their starting quarterback remain apart on terms. The four-year starter’s demands were north of $30MM AAV last year, and they were believed to be in the range of Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year amount. While it’s uncertain if the Cowboys are comfortable getting to that figure, they will not have to go too much higher. Prescott is not asking to become the league’s first $40MM-per-year player, Jay Glazer of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Patrick Mahomes is the leading candidate to get there first, but while the Chiefs’ superstar passer is barely a month into his extension-eligible period, Prescott is 13-plus months into that window. After talks centering around a $33MM-per-year accord broke down during the season, the franchise tag now looks like a real possibility.
Latest On Anthony Brown, Cowboys
- Byron Jones is not the only Cowboys cornerback who will be an unrestricted free agent come March. Dallas’ four-year slot corner, Anthony Brown, is on track for free agency but does not expect nearly the same kind of deal as Jones will receive. Brown may be eyeing a short-term pact in order to re-establish his value after an injury-marred season, with Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News noting Brown’s reps expect their client to earn roughly $10MM in total on his next contract. Still, Watkins expects that will be beyond what the Cowboys will authorize. Dallas losing both Jones and Brown will make corner a need area, despite both Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis under contract for next season.
Cowboys Prepared To Let Byron Jones Walk?
With Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper now five weeks from free agency, the Cowboys have made their priorities clear. That stands to price out their other high-end free agent, but the Cowboys may not view Byron Jones as a player worth a top-market cornerback contract.
The Cowboys are leery of a big Jones payment, with Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reporting they are not warm to the prospect of giving their top cornerback a deal that pays more than $12MM per year.
Even as the cornerback market has stagnated for several years now, its ceiling hovers well north of that benchmark. Nearly 15 corners make at least $12MM annually, and with the converted safety set for free agency in a year that will see the salary cap spike toward $200MM, it appears even likelier now that Jones will leave Dallas in March.
Jones has become one of the NFL’s top cover men, with the move to corner in 2018 reinvigorating the former first-round pick. But the Cowboys may be underwhelmed by his impact in the takeaway department, per Watkins. Jones has not intercepted a pass in his past 40 games, dating back to October 2017, and has just two picks in his career. That did not stop him from making the Pro Bowl in 2018, and Watkins notes those close to the corner expect a strong market for his services when the legal tampering period opens March 16. Jones graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 14 corner last season.
The Cowboys re-upped several key players over the past 10 months — extending DeMarcus Lawrence, La’el Collins, Jaylon Smith and Ezekiel Elliott — and will retain Prescott and make a strong effort to keep Cooper. That will probably mean a bidding war for Jones. The 27-year-old defender should be expected to sign a lucrative pact — perhaps one that eclipses Xavien Howard‘s cornerback-record $15.05MM-per-year deal — in free agency.
Cowboys Make Staff Changes
In announcing their coaching staff, the Cowboys revealed more new names coming to join Mike McCarthy in his first season.
Although this offseason featured a few ex-Cowboys assistants going to New York to follow Jason Garrett, McCarthy hired former Giants staffer Lunda Wells to be his tight ends coach. Wells joins assistant offensive line coach Jeff Blasko and first-year coach Scott Tolzien as the latest additions to McCarthy’s first Dallas staff.
However, the most notable move may be a holdover changing roles. Doug Nussmeier will move from tight ends coach to leading the Cowboys’ quarterbacks.
This marks a notable promotion for the two-year tight ends coach, but this new position will mark a return to the kind of responsibilities the longtime college assistant enjoyed. Nussmeier served as QBs coach and offensive coordinator at several major college programs — Washington, Alabama, Michigan and Florida among them — from 2009-17. In between, he served as the Rams’ QBs coach under Scott Linehan from 2006-07. Linehan helped bring Nussmeier to Dallas before the 2018 season.
The Cowboys retained Kellen Moore as their OC, and Nussmeier’s role with the franchise grew last year after the team transitioned from Linehan to Moore in that job. Nussmeier was also a candidate to be Dallas’ OC. His rise within the organization continues, with McCarthy tabbing Moore and Nussmeier to be his top voices on the offensive side of the ball. Nussmeier, 49, will replace Jon Kitna as QBs coach.
Set to move into Nussmeier’s previous role, Wells spent the past eight seasons with the Giants — seven of those coaching Big Blue’s offensive line or tight ends. Blasko worked under James Campen in Cleveland last year. Blasko worked with McCarthy in Green Bay.
Given starts with the Packers and Colts, prior to a stay in the Alliance of American Football, Tolzien will transition to coaching. The 32-year-old ex-quarterback spent three seasons with McCarthy in Green Bay before moving to Indianapolis to be one of Andrew Luck‘s backups in 2016.
Latest On Dak Prescott, Cowboys FAs
We heard earlier this week that negotiations between the Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott could ultimately lead to a franchise tag. However, Stephen Jones clarified that the organization is still focused on completing a long-term deal before Prescott hits unrestricted free agency in March.
“We want to get this done,” Jones told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Dallas Star-Telegram. “Things are fixing to heat up. We want to put every foot forward and try to grind this out and get a deal done.
“I know he wants to get his contract in the rear view mirror and we want it too. We want him to be treated well, financially and respectfully. We are going to have a real urgency to get this done.”
There’s been optimism surrounding an extension for months, but the report from earlier this week cautioned that a deal wasn’t imminent. We heard back in January that the two sides were close to an agreement, with the Cowboys reportedly willing to give Prescott a contract worth $33MM per season. Hill Jr. notes that the quarterback is seeking a deal that would jump Russell Wilson‘s league-leading $35MM AAV.
“I don’t want to get into the details, but we have offered him significant money,” Jones said. “The money we have offered Dak no matter how you look at it would put him as a top five quarterback in the NFL. That is the way we feel about him. He is one of the best.”
Cowboys LB Sean Lee Won’t Retire
Linebacker Sean Lee just completed his 10th NFL season, but the veteran has no plans to hang up his cleats. Lee told SI.com’s Mike Fisher that he’s uncertain if he’ll land back in Dallas, but he made it clear that he won’t be retiring.
“I have not explored that yet,” Lee said. “I’m focusing on playing as of now.”
When asked about his future with the Cowboys and new head coach Mike McCarthy, the 33-year-old couldn’t commit.
“I’m still deciding,” Lee said. “I’m waiting to kind of explore what some of my options are…I love it in Dallas and I love the Cowboys. I hope it works out, for sure.”
Despite the 2019 campaign being his 10th season in the league (and his ninth healthy season), the veteran managed to appear in a career-high 16 games (to go along with 13 starts). Lee finished the campaign having compiled 86 tackles (the fifth time he’s had at least 80 tackles), one sack, four passes defended, and one interception.
The 2010 second-round pick has spent his entire career in Dallas, and he’s set to hit free agency for the first time since the 2013 offseason. Lee has battled a number of injuries throughout his career, and he’s flirted with retirement in the past. Based on his comments, it sounds like the linebacker is committed to returning for at least one more season.
Dez Bryant Wants To Return To Cowboys
Could Dez Bryant reunite with the Cowboys? Cowboys VP Stephen Jones says the wide receiver has reached out to him and he’s not ruling out the possibility of signing the veteran.
“He has texted me that he would like to come back,” Jones said (via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram). “We have nothing but great respect for Dez and what he accomplished here. Certainly, as we look forward into the future we look at all opportunities and all potential players that could maybe help us out.”
There haven’t been advanced discussions regarding Bryant just yet, however. Jones explained that he has only started discussing personnel with head coach Mike McCarthy. The two haven’t made determinations on their own free agents either, so Jones says nothing has been decided regarding tight end Jason Witten or linebacker Sean Lee.
Bryant spent eight years with the Cowboys, racking up 531 catches, nearly 7,500 yards, and a franchise-high 73 receiving touchdowns. His run included three straight seasons of at least 88 grabs, 1,200 yards, and 12 touchdowns. During that window from 2012-2014, Bryant was one of the league’s best receivers, and the Cowboys gave him a lucrative contract to reflect his production.
Of course, things didn’t end too well for Bryant and the Cowboys. In his last three seasons with Dallas, Bryant failed to top 900 yards. Then, the Cowboys dropped him in April of 2018, which put him on the curb after most of the NFL’s available free agent dollars had been allocated. Midway through the ’18 season, Bryant hooked on with the Saints. He never suited up for them, however, thanks to an Achilles tear in practice. Last year, Bryant was away from the NFL and training for an eventual return.
Bryant, a three-time Pro Bowler, will turn 32 in November.