Dez Bryant caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2014 when he earned All-Pro honors and contract worthy of an elite wide receiver. Since then, he has played 25 of 35 games and has made 92 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Of course, he played through injuries the past two seasons and had five different starting quarterbacks.
Bryant smirked when asked if he’s still a top-tiered wide receiver.
“That’s funny to me,” Bryant said, via Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It doesn’t bother me, because I know I am.”
Bryant has 11 catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns this season, going against Janoris Jenkins, Aqib Talib and Patrick Peterson in the first three weeks. On Monday night against the Cardinals, he made two catches for 12 yards and a touchdown. But his 15-yard touchdown ranks as one of the league’s top plays thus far, as Bryant caught the ball at the 13-yard line on a shallow cross and then carried seven Cardinals into the end zone with him.
“I was talking to my teammates [before the touchdown],” Bryant said. “I was like, ‘As soon as I touch it, I’m scoring.’ When I get a good ball, I’m going to score, put it in the end zone. And it happened. It was amazing.”
Bryant has never worried about his numbers, despite what some outsiders might think. As long as the Cowboys are winning, Bryant is a happy camper, and he celebrates touchdowns by teammates as much as he does his own.
“It’s amazing part about this team,” Bryant said. “You’ve got a lot of stars on this team. I think that’s the coolest part about this team. It can be anybody on any Sunday.”
