Dez Bryant is probably a pain-in-the-ass coworker and employee, and the three-time Pro Bowl selection isn't as good at his job as he used to be. But you know what? He was still the best receiver the Cowboys had.
In fact, Bryant was the only Cowboys receiver who was even a close facsimile of a No. 1, and not only did they cut him – they didn't bother to replace him.
Oh, the Cowboys signed Allen Hurns, who hadn't eclipsed 40 receptions, 500 yards and three touchdowns in a season since 2015. They traded for Tavon Austin, who averaged 39/334/2.5 receiving through his first five NFL seasons. They spent a third-round draft pick on Michael Gallup. And they retained Terrance Williams, who caught zero touchdown passes in 2017, and 5-foot-8 Cole Beasley, who racked up 314 yards a year ago.
Nor did the Cowboys replace Jason Witten following his unexpected retirement in April. The combination of Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin (these are real people, I swear), Rico Gathers and Dalton Schultz entered this season with nine career receptions between them, all by Swaim. None was higher than a fourth-round pick.
The result – in Week 1, at least – was predictable. Beasley led the Cowboys with seven receptions for 73 yards. Something called Deonte Thompson, which is supposedly a sixth-year veteran, was second on the team with three receptions for 27 yards. Hurns finished with one catch for 20 yards. Swaim had three catches, 18 yards. Gallup and Williams had one catch each, for nine and six yards respectively. Austin wasn't targeted, and carried one time for one yard.
The Cowboys scored eight points, largely because Ezekiel Elliott was finally able to will the offense into the end zone in the fourth quarter. They lost to the Panthers, 16-8.
None of this should take anybody by surprise. After riding Elliott's coattails to a 13-3 record as a rookie in 2016, Dak Prescott took a noticeable step back last season. With his star running back in and out of the lineup and an injury-plagued offensive line, the quarterback showed he wasn't ready to elevate the play of the guys around him. Elliott seems to have put off-field troubles behind him, but the line is still experiencing some issues.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Bryant's skills have diminished with injuries and age 30 approaching, yet he was still good enough to average 60/817/7 over his last two seasons in Dallas. Say what you want about the guy's antics. He's still head and shoulders better than anybody wearing the star right now.
Which is not to say the Cowboys shouldn't have released Bryant, either, if, for example, he and Prescott didn't get along (as is rumored), or the club no longer felt he was worth the $12.5 million he was due in 2018 (he wasn't).
But then the year is 2018. You're not going to the playoffs on three yards and a cloud of dust unless you also have a top-five defense, which Dallas doesn't. Winning in the NFL typically requires some semblance of a passing game, and relying on Prescott to provide that without legitimate help was misguided. It might be a fireable offense if somebody other than Jerry Jones ran the team – setting up Jason Garrett to be the scapegoat here.
Sure, it's only Week 1, and the Cowboys were on the road against a tough Panthers defense. It's also difficult to envision Prescott improving with this group of receivers, harder still to imagine legitimate threat emerging from this sad-looking group of receivers.
Barring an unlikely turn of events, the Cowboys appear to be completely dependent upon Elliott and their defense to be even remotely relevant in '18. That's a tough ask.
