Cowboys Exec Explains Why Dallas Released Dez Bryant This Offseason

Dez Bryant’s former team believes his best days as a football player are behind him.

Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay revealed Tuesday in an interview with ESPN Radio Dallas why the team released the wide receiver after eight seasons together.

The Cowboys surprisingly cut Bryant on April 13, sparking a host of rumors about their reasons for doing so and which team he’ll join as a free agent. McClay explained the roster move as a case of the Cowboys reacting to a player’s diminishing skills.

“It was a collective deal,” McClay told ESPN Radio Dallas, per The Star-Telegram’s Clarence E. Hill. “The (inability) to win one-on-one, to win down field. There was inconsistency as well as some huge things in his play. So what’s best moving forward for Dez Bryant the Cowboys, we just made that decision. It’s a production-based business.”

Bryant, 29, caught 69 passes for 838 yards in 16 games last season. Those totals were his highest since 2014  — he missed 10 games combined in 2015 and 2016 — but his 12.1 yards per reception and six touchdown catches in 2017 were the lowest of any season in which he appeared in every game.

Bryant reportedly turned down a multiyear contract offer last week from the Baltimore Ravens because he wants to sign a one-year deal with a team in order to return to free agency next offseason.

The Cowboys’ conclusion about Bryant’s ability might make other teams think twice about signing him.

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