Dallas Cowboys leaning towards franchise tagging Dez Bryant

The Dallas Cowboys are leaning towards slapping the franchise tag on Dez Bryant.

The Dallas Cowboys did something in 2014 that was previously incomprehensible in their franchise’s storied history: they became a feel good story. Led most notably by the oft-banged-up Tony Romo and a fully healthy DeMarco Murray (not to mention a renewed commitment to the running game), the Cowboys ran off 12 wins in 2014 to capture their first NFC East title since 2009.

Also fueled by a reenergized defense under first-year defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys were able to escape with a dramatic first-round playoff win against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card round.

Their magical season sent them to Green Bay for the divisional round to take on the beaten up Aaron Rodgers and his Packers. The Cowboys managed to keep that game close long enough that this catch or no-catch promises to live on NFL officiating infamy for generations.

In some ways that play is a microcosm of the career that Dez Bryant has had thus far in Dallas. It’s produced a whole lot of hoopla with some grandiose fireworks, but ultimately fallen a bit short of expectations.

Hence we come to the news resonating out of the first day of the 2015 NFL Combine that the Cowboys are leaning towards applying the franchise tag to Bryant, as reported by ESPN Dallas’ Todd Archer.

As Archer explains, there are reasons, though, that the Cowboys will not act on that premonition just yet. For one, and absolutely most importantly, the NFL is yet to release their salary cap configurations for the 2015 NFL calendar year, which officially commences on March 10 at 4 PM ET.

But the deadline for franchise tags to be applied is March 2. By waiting, the Cowboys are hoping that they can gain a sense for just how much a one-year tag will cost them. The tag for wide receivers is expected to come in around $13 million for the 2015 season.

It also may be that the Cowboys, always pushed up against the cap, may not have enough space to tag Bryant and reach their other goals in the free agency period. By waiting, the team also gives itself a chance to speak with Bryant’s agent, Tom Condon of CAA, who figures to handle any contract negotiations for the Pro Bowl receiver.

As any player would, Bryant would be disappointed in being slapped with the franchise tag, but ultimately most players recognize it is a part of the business that they must live under.

It’s not uncommon for teams to use the tag to guarantee they maintain the rights to a player only to then sign that player to a new long-term deal by the July 15 deadline.

Bryant ought to hope that is what will come his way.

But should the Cowboys tag Bryant? In a word, yes. According to the true receiving yards metric from Football Perspective, Bryant was the fourth most valuable receiver to any offense in 2014.

Only Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas and Jordy Nelson were deemed more valuable. He was tied for 13^th in explosive catches (receptions of 25-plus yards), tied for 15^th in receptions inside the opponents’ 10-yard line and famously first in the league in receiving touchdowns.

But he is noticeably absent in many of the other categories which represent great value. Jason Witten and Terrance Williams were both more effective as conversion receivers (often referred to as possession receivers because they maintain possession by moving the chains), according to statistics made available by the Washington Post.

And then there’s the case of running back DeMarco Murray, who won the NFL’s offensive player of the year, but figures to enter free agency. Could, and perhaps should, the Cowboys instead tag him? The average running back salary has dipped enormously in recent seasons.

The problem is that while Dallas would lock up one known commodity in Murray, they’d all but guarantee they lose Bryant given his certain contract demands.

The reverse would not necessarily be true should the ‘Boys go ahead and tag Bryant. Murray may be re-signable because of the low demand for quality running backs in today’s NFL.

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