Bryant Would Have Been Open To Pay Cut
The Cowboys dominated the Friday NFL news cycle by releasing Dez Bryant and doing so without offering the acclaimed wide receiver a chance to stay with the team at a reduced rate. That move may have been amendable to Bryant, despite the receiver’s previous comments not appearing to indicate as such.
A first-time free agent, Bryant said in an interview with the NFL Network’s Jane Slater (Twitter link) he would have accepted a pay cut if the Cowboys offered. Dallas did not offer to keep Bryant on a lesser salary. The 29-year-old wideout expected the team to propose a pay cut. While it’s unclear how much of a salary reduction Bryant would have accepted, the Cowboys weren’t interested and made the odd decision to release their all-time leader in touchdown receptions more than a month into free agency.
As part of the five-year, $70MM extension he signed just before the 2015 franchise tag deadline, Bryant was scheduled to make $12.5MM in base salary and comprise $16.5MM of Dallas’ cap this season.
The juncture of this cut came largely because Jerry Jones has long had an affinity for the mercurial pass-catcher, and it took convincing for the team’s top decision-maker to sign off on a release, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link).
“Jerry Jones, he loved me to death, and I loved him too,” Bryant told Slater. “I honestly believe in my heart that this was a hard decision for him. But when it’s five, six guys at a table against one guy, you got to do it.”
Bryant is not making it a secret he’d like to join one of the Cowboys’ top rivals, but ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen reports (on Twitter) a landing in Philadelphia, Washington or New York does not look especially promising at the moment. The Redskins are not believed to be interested in the ninth-year player.
“Being in the division is a huge possibility it’s something that I want,” Bryant said in the interview (Twitter link). “It’s personal. I’m tired of being the scapegoat and I’m going to keep proving that on and off the field.”
It will obviously be more difficult for Bryant to command the type of money he could have had the Cowboys made this move a month ago, but he’s likely to generate some interest soon.
Latest On Dez Bryant
After being released from the Cowboys, Dez Bryant is in search of a new team. As speculation brews about where the wide receiver land, his agent says that everything is on the table.
“Dez and Jerry Jones met earlier today,” Kim Miale of Roc Nation Sports said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). “He was informed that the Cowboys intend to move in another direction. It is a bittersweet time for Dez because he loved playing for the Dallas Cowboys, but he is looking forward to a fresh start with a new organization. We are currently exploring all options.”
Here’s the latest on Dez:
- Amidst rumblings that Bryant will look to play for one of the Cowboys’ NFC East rivals, he retweeted a local reporter who wondered whether he would seek to join up with the Redskins, Eagles or Giants.
- It doesn’t sound like we should expect to see Bryant in D.C., however. The three-time Pro Bowler is not on the Redskins‘ radar, Mike Jones of USA Today tweets. The Redskins already boast Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson on their wide receiver depth chart, so there isn’t a clear need for someone like Bryant. The Redskins can be expected to bolster that unit through cheaper means between now and the fall and may explore draft prospects and lower cost veterans.
- Still, Bryant sounds like a man who will be out for revenge. “If I didn’t have my edge I got it now,“ Bryant tweeted. “I’m sorry they got to feel me it’s personal . . . it’s very personal.”
Vea Chooses D.C. Visit Over Local Pro Day
- Vita Vea is eligible to attend both the Seahawks‘ and 49ers’ local pro days, which do not count against teams’ top-30 visits, but he will instead meet with the Redskins next Wednesday, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets. The mammoth ex-Washington Huskies defensive tackle went to high school in the Bay Area. He’s visited several teams and is a surefire first-round pick.
Redskins Won't Rule Out QB In Draft
- Meanwhile, the rival Redskins aren’t ruling out a quarterback in the first round. “When we get to [No.] 13, we’ve got to see who’s there,” executive Doug Williams told Kimberley Martin of the Washington Post. “If there’s a quarterback that we feel should have gone [at the top of the draft], then that’s a major discussion. To say it’s off the table, that would be unfair.” The top four QBs in this year’s draft are likely to be off of the board by the time the Redskins are called at No. 13 and, even then, they are expected to address bigger needs in the first round. Of course, Washington already has Alex Smith to steward the offense.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/9/18
Here are today’s minor moves.
Detroit Lions
- Signed RFA tender: WR T.J. Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on Reserve/Retired list: WR Rodney Adams
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Tim Wright
Oakland Raiders
- Signed ERFA tender: LB Shilique Calhoun
- Signed ERFA tender: LB James Cowser
- Signed ERFA tender: S Erik Harris
- Signed ERFA tender: OL Denver Kirkland
- Signed ERFA tender: K Giorgio Tavecchio
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Joseph Cheek
- Signed: OL Larson Graham
- Signed: OL Parker Collins
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Victor Ochi
Washington Redskins
- Waived: QB Stephen Morris
Redskins Like RB Derrius Guice
- The Redskins like Derrius Guice, Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington notes, but Jay Gruden was somewhat dismissive of an early-round running back choice at the most recent league meetings. However, the fifth-year coach — perhaps in full-smokescreen mode — said he would like to add possibly a between-the-tackles runner this offseason. Like Leonard Fournette before him, Guice (32 receptions while at LSU) qualifies as such. Washington doesn’t hold a third-round pick because of its Alex Smith trade, so the team would have to be fairly serious about a backfield upgrade if it selects a ball-carrier before Draft Saturday. Guice is a projected first-round pick whose only known visit has been with the Ravens.
Josh Norman A Possible 2019 Cut?
- It’s not out of the question that 2018 is Josh Norman‘s last year with the Redskins, Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington writes. Although the Redskins would still have $6MM in dead money if they were to release Norman after this season, they’d create $8.5MM in cap space. Norman’s 2019 cap figure is $14.5MM. He remains the league’s highest-paid cornerback despite two free agency periods having passed since his Washington agreement. While it’s fairly early to navigate against the 2019 cap, Washington is projected to hold the second-lowest amount of cap space next year.
Redskins Acquire QB Kevin Hogan
The Browns have traded away another quarterback, sending Kevin Hogan and a sixth-round pick (No. 205 overall)to the Redskins for a sixth-round pick (No. 188 overall), with both teams announcing the deal. The Browns had acquired the sixth-round pick used in the deal from the Patriots in exchange for Jason McCourty
Hogan joins a Redskins quarterback contingent that includes Colt McCoy and Stephen Morris behind newly-acquired Alex Smith. The Stanford alum had received permission from the Browns on Thursday to allow his agent to seek out a trade with another team.
NFL Draft Rumors: Broncos, Darnold, Vea
The Broncos sent GM John Elway, coach Vance Joseph, and other top executives to watch Sam Darnold work out in Los Angeles on Friday morning, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Darnold, the youngest of this year’s top quarterback prospects, appears to be a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall. It could be a longshot for the Broncos to land him at No. 5, but stranger things have happened and there’s also the possibility of Denver moving up in the order. As a redshirt sophomore, the USC product completed 63.1% of his passes for 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Here’s more NFL Draft news:
- The Redskins will meet with USC running back Ronald Jones on Monday, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Team president Bruce Allen attended Jones’ pro day earlier this week and apparently came away impressed. Most believe that the Redskins will target a defensive player at No. 13 overall, so Jones might not be in the cards for Washington unless they trade down or acquire an additional pick in the back half of the first round. Jones, who has garnered comparisons to Jamaal Charles for his running style, is among this year’s top players at the position.
- LSU cornerback Donte Jackson has upcoming visits with the Broncos, Bills, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Packers (Twitter link via Jared Tokarz). Jackson ranks 28th on the top 50 list of NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and impressed with a 4.32 second 40-yard-dash at the draft combine.
- Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea will visit with the Bengals on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Redskins Notes: Draft, Payne, Vea
The Redskins are expected to target secondary help in the NFL draft, but they’ll have to balance that with other needs. The good news for Washington is that there are late-round safeties such as West Virginia’s Kyzir White, Penn State’s Marcus Allen and Northwestern’s Godwin Igwebuike that the Redskins can target, as Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post writes.
“Depending upon whether you view them as cornerbacks or safeties,” ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said recently. “Kyzir White, West Virginia, he could go third or fourth round. Marcus Allen, Penn State, could go fourth or fifth round. Godwin Igwebuike from Northwestern could go four to six, in that area. “There’s going to be some guys that drop down a little bit at that spot that have a lot of ability. Igwebuike tested off the charts at the combine.”
The Redskins’ pass defense ranked No. 9 in the NFL last year, but they’ve since traded Kendall Fuller while fellow cornerback Bashaud Breeland continues to float in free agency. Meanwhile, Washington still needs safety depth behind starters D.J. Swearinger and Deshazor Everett.
The Redskins have a history of targeting secondary help on Day 3 of the draft. Last year, they took UCLA corner Fabian Moreau in the third round, Michigan State safety Montae Nicholson in the fourth round, and Auburn cornerback Joshua Holsey in the seventh round.
Here’s more out of D.C.:
- With the No. 13 pick, Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington sees Alabama defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne as the odds-on favorite to be the Redskins’ first draft pick. Others likely to be in the mix, in Tandler’s estimation, include University of Washington defensive lineman Vita Vea and Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith. He also doesn’t discount the possibility of FSU safety Derwin James landing in D.C. if he has an unexpected slip down the board. Alabama cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick and LSU running back Derrius Guice also garner mentions here.
- An offensive player may not be in the mix for the ‘Skins at No. 13 since they have bigger fish to fry, but Tandler wonders aloud if Georgia running back Nick Chubb could be an option for the team in Round 2 or 3. Chubb suffered a serious knee injury in 2015, but he bounced back to run for nearly 2,500 yards in the next two seasons. Chubb shows good power to gut out extra yards, but the Redskins are after a running back who can also catch out of the backfield and he did very little of that in Georgia’s offense.