Dallas Cowboys vs. Dez Bryant: No Receiver Is Worth $15 Million

If at the trading deadline this year the Dallas Cowboys had sent wide receiver Dez Bryant to Buffalo in exchange for defensive end Mario Williams and his 10 sacks, would you worry about the run-first Cowboys offense being able to score points? Overall, minus a No. 1 wideout but bolstered by an elite edge rusher, would you have felt better or worse about the Cowboys chances of making a run this year?

I’ve been arguing since before training camp against the Dallas Cowboys devoting elite level cap space to resigning Bryant. It’s more about Bryant’s position than Bryant himself.

I have no worries about Bryant’s character. Far from it. Dez Bryant is a mature adult male, and he has a vast organizational support network. He’s probably more mature than I was when I was 26. I trust him to do the right thing after signing a big contract – that’s not a concern in the least.

And I certainly recognize Bryant is among the best at his position in the game. Dez Bryant is an elite play-making wide receiver. You want to say Detroit’s Calvin Johnson is better? Fine, but you’re splitting hairs. These guys are dominant No. 1 wideouts. Special. Very few peers, and they’re looking up at no one.

This is not about the money; it’s about the cap. In a capped league, paying one guy means not paying another. Who you gonna let walk because you gave Bryant the $15 million a year he wants? Rolando McClain? Ronald Leary? Go ahead – pick one. This is a capped league, Mr. GM. You have to make choices.

This is not necessarily about Dez Bryant, so much as it is about the wide receiver position, which is woefully co-dependent on competent play from the quarterback. You saw Bryant disappear in the Week 9 loss to the Arizona: zero catches on eight targets with two drops in the game’s first 55 minutes.

Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson got the credit for shutting down Bryant, but we all know that’s garbage. Bryant was shut down by backup quarterback Brandon Weeden spraying balls all over the field. As good as Bryant is, he didn’t make Weeden any better.

As such, a long-term contract extension at premium market value is a bad idea for ANY wide receiver. Johnson is a great receiver, but he has a bad contract. Same with Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. And Vincent Jackson in Tampa Bay. And Mike Wallace in Miami. And Dwayne Bowe in Kansas City. And Percy Harvin with the New York Jets.

Those are the six biggest wide receiver contracts in the NFL, and they’re all awful. Think about the teams they play for. Tampa Bay and New York have four wins between them; spending big on a wide receiver hasn’t helped those franchises. Detroit (1), Arizona (13), Miami (2), and Kansas City (8) are all having success with elite defenses. None of them is ranked in the top half of the league in total offense, despite their high-priced wideouts.

There isn’t a wide receiver on the planet worth that much cap space. One of our readers made this point very succinctly in the comments of a recent post. He simply goes by Ed, and here’s what he wrote:

“For receivers and running backs use the 80/20 rule. Dez is an outstanding WR. But you can get 80% of his production for 20% of his cap space. That leaves cap room for LBs, DBs, Linemen……You know….those guys who put wins in our column.”

The sagacity of the 80/20 Rule was on display in Detroit when Johnson missed three games in October and was limited in two others with an ankle sprain. Over that five-game stretch Golden Tate was Detroit’s de facto No. 1 receiver. He averaged almost eight catches and 120 yards per game. He also had touchdown receptions of 55, 59 and 73 yards. Tate was targeted 59 times in those five games, and averaged over 10 yards per target.

Back in March, Tate signed a 5-year, $31 million contract with the Lions. He makes about $10 million less than Johnson per season, and Johnson’s contract has about $40 million more in guarantees.

I don’t care how good Johnson is, the Lions are overpaying him. Period. The Cowboys are smart to resist doing the same with Bryant.