The Dallas Cowboys have wide receiver Dez Bryant on the franchise tag and he is seeking a long term deal heading into 2015 and he has threatened to sit out for Week 1 of the season if he doesn't get a contract and this comes as the team has Joseph Randle as the top running back in minicamp with Darren McFadden dealing with an injury.
Bryant is not expected to be at the mandatory minicamp starting on Tuesday for the Dallas Cowboys, as NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports that the wideout will stay away. Bryant and other players on the franchise tag are not expected to be reporting to camp, including players like Jason Pierre-Paul and Demaryius Thomas. Bryant reportedly is willing to hold out into the season if he does not get a long term deal, as he is not satisfied with the one year franchise tag deal at $12.823 million.
The Cowboys and Bryant have until the middle of July to get a long term deal done, so any threats from Bryant are without major consequences for a little bit more time. Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said that the team plans on "making a push" to sign Bryant ahead of training camp, according to the Dallas Morning News. The Cowboys reportedly want "off the field protection" in the contract for Bryant and that could be one of the issues holding up negotiations.
According to Chris Mortensen at ESPN.com, Bryant is threatening to hold out for the first game of the season in Week 1 against the Giants if he does not get a contract. NFL Network's Mike Silver later picked up on the report and said that Bryant and the threat is "legit" and that is "upset" with how the situation is unfolding. Bryant is due a major raise with how he has played the past three years, as he has had at least 87 catches, 1200 yards and 12 touchdowns in those three seasons.
The Cowboys are hoping that Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle can make up for the loss of DeMarco Murray in free agency, but so far McFadden has been hobbled in offseason workouts. Last season McFadden played in all 16 games for the first time in his career and he was the main signing for the Cowboys in free agency to try and replace Murray. Randle comes in after having a solid year last season and with McFadden dealing with a hamstring issue, Randle has taken over as the number one back on the depth chart coming into minicamp.
Dallas Morning News reporter Jon Machota writes that Randle likely will be the starter when the season starts. Machota writes that he thinks Randle will overtake McFadden on the depth chart heading into the season if he has an impressive training camp.
Bryant has shown how important he is to the Cowboys offense and with DeMarco Murray gone, his return is a priority for the team. Bryant had 16 touchdowns last season and with about a month left for the two sides to sign a contract, this could be the first major hurdle to clear with minicamp coming this week. Bryant could stay away for training camp and the start of the season, but the Cowboys likely do not want that to happen.