The Chargers Should Sign Dez Bryant

Today the Dallas Cowboys surprised the football world by releasing Dez Bryant, their star WR. Those who have been following the developing story might not find it surprising, but this was a true darned-if-you-do darned-if-you-don’t scenario for the Cowboys.

Bryant’s future had been the swirling story of the Cowboys’ offseason because of his $12.5 million base salary and $16.5 million salary-cap figure, which would have been the second-highest in the league among receivers. The highest was the Buccaneers’ Mike Evans ($18.25M), with a logjam of quality starters soon behind them both.

Since signing a five-year, $70 million contract in 2015, Bryant, 29, has not recorded more than 70 catches or 838 yards in a season. For all intents and purposes, Dez has not been ‘Dez’ for quite some time.

Looking at the situation a little deeper, you can see that Dez Bryant is an incredibly talented athlete. He is currently the franchise-record holder for the Dallas Cowboys with 73 touchdown receptions. He has had two down years in a row, but something else has been a common denominator during that time: Not having Tony Romo.

Some fans and Chargers think that there is another QB out there that can help.

Like all great receivers, Dez Bryant performs to his potential when he is supporting a Hall of Fame QB. Dak Prescott has shined when his star RB Ezekiel Elliott has been on the field, but this dependence on the run game exposed him as a so-so QB in 2017.

Meanwhile, Philip Rivers is enjoying his own renaissance in LA. The talk of imminent retirement has hushed completely after his stellar 2017 campaign. On a franchise level, the LA Chargers are being completely outshined by their cross-town rivals, the LA Rams. The press disparity is not insignificant: The Rams are news, the Chargers are football Padres.

It makes sense for the Chargers to consider the bombastic move that would bring Dez to LA. He’s used to wearing a star and being a star— he would be very much at home in Hollywood, and he’d be thankful to have a star QB making him look good again.

-Jason “Don’t Bring Up the Costs” Michaels