Dez Bryant didn’t make an appearance at OTAs this week, but the Cowboys want to make sure they don’t give the appearance of not missing him.
Via Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com, the Cowboys have gone out of their way to praise their franchise-tagged wideout while trying to work out a long-term contract with him.
“Dez is somebody who has all of the respect in the world from the individuals on this team,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “This is the tough part of our business, which is the business of it. We’ll continue to make progress and we know that at some point Dez will join us.
“It’s hard for these guys to be away — him more than anybody, because he’s such a competitor. If there’s anybody who wants to be out here, it’s him.”
Of course, Bryant hasn’t been there, other than a few cameos at offseason workouts and doing some individual drills last week. But his presence is still felt.
“Everybody has these flash plays,” receivers coach Derek Dooley said. “I’ve watched him play 34 games. He never comes out, and I’ve seen him make the game-changing plays he makes on a consistent basis.
“I’ve also seen what defenses try to do to stop him. He’s a special cat. It’s a real tribute to how much he’s grown and how hard he’s worked at it and how much detail he’s put on improving, in addition to the gifts God gave him. . . .
“When he walks into the building, he brings an energy that’s not there. What’s great is I can be sitting in my office but I can feel him in the building. He’s five rooms down, but something feels different. I just start hearing this noise coming down the ball, and it just gets me juiced up cause 88 is here.”
Imagine the sound if he actually gets a long-term deal before the July 15 deadline.
Since Bryant has been high-maintenance in the past, it’s interesting that the Cowboys are being so effusive in their praise. It’s probably not a bad strategy either, as they try to get a deal done.
