The Dallas Cowboys are not making any big adjustments to their running back rotation in the near future which begs the question of what the team plans on doing with their additional cap space. Dez Bryant is hopeful that it is used on him after getting hit with a franchise tag at the start of the offseason. With plenty of teams waiting for the wide receiver market to be set, will the Cowboys make the first move and sign Bryant?
Bryant was not happy with the franchise tag placed upon him after negotiations for his contract extension stalled. As a result the Dallas Morning News reported the wide receiver was not present at any voluntary workouts the Cowboys held prior to the NFL Draft. According to head coach Jason Garrett, the team is not worried about the contract turmoil with Bryant as the he made it clear that he and the wide receiver have been in contact this whole time.
"I've spoken to Dez a number of times over the course of this offseason," Garrett said, via the Dallas Morning News. "He's working very hard. Dez has not been here. This is a voluntary period for us. There's nothing mandatory about it. But we're fortunate. On our team we have so many guys who live in Dallas that are participating in the offseason program. It's off the charts in a voluntary situation. Dez has not been part of that up to this point, but he's working hard. We love Dez Bryant. Dez Bryant's a heck of a football player. He's the right kind of guy. Got great football character and hopefully some of his situations from a business standpoint can be worked out and he'll back in here working out with us."
According to Jerry Jones, the Cowboys are waiting to see what the receiver market looks like this offseason. Several big names are due new deals including AJ Green, Julio Jones and Demaryius Thomas. They are all fighting to be one of the higher paid receivers in the league. Right now Calvin Johnson takes that crown as he is set to earn $12.5 million, $15.9 million and $16.5 million in the next three years. Dallas must determine if Bryant is worth that money or not.
The Cowboys have confidence in Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle which means they are not trading for Adrian Peterson and taking on his contract. According to ESPNDallas.com, Jones will not be the first to make a move and sign the wide receiver, but if the Falcons ink Julio Jones quickly, the Cowboys might be more inclined to get Bryant under a new deal as well. One thing if for sure, Tony Romo is not bothered by Bryant's holdout as he already predicted the Dallas Cowboys will win the Super Bowl.