Green Bay Packers should sign Dez Bryant and reap rewards

The Green Bay Packers should sign Dez Bryant, giving Aaron Rodgers another target to utilize on the outside against overmatched defenses.

Aaron Rodgers in 34 years old. The clock is ticking louder by the second, and the window is closing as the seasons go by. Rodgers won the Super Bowl in 2010 with the Green Bay Packers but hasn’t returned, and with far more of his career behind rather than ahead of him, the moment is now.

In that vein, general manager Brian Gutekunst should sign Dez Bryant. With the draft finished and free agency all but dried up, Bryant is likely looking for a one-year deal to reset his value before testing the market in 2019, a la Ndamukong Suh, Tyrann Mathieu and Sheldon Richardson.

If this were in years past with Ted Thompson running the front office, the notion of signing a big-ticket free agent would be ludicrous. However, with Gutekunst at the helm, the Packers have been aggressive, signing Muhammad Wilkerson and Jimmy Graham before moving all over the draft board.

Now, the Packers have a chance to add a legitimate threat on the outside in Bryant, who despite his game declining, can still be a force. Green Bay paid big money to Davante Adams and still has Randall Cobb, but Cobb can kick inside with Bryant playing opposite Adams. The Packers would be able to spread the field with that trio, along with Graham down the seam and Ty Montgomery wheeling out of the backfield.

With the Packers, Bryant wouldn’t need to be a Pro Bowler. At 29 years old, he would simply have to fill a role as a compliment to Adams, who Green Bay believes will be its next superstar wideout. Last year, Adams led the team with 885 yards and 10 touchdowns despite playing a bulk of the campaign with Brett Hundley.

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While Bryant hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2014, he would effectively replace Jordy Nelson, who the Packers cut earlier this offseason. With the Minnesota Vikings looking stacked and the rest of the NFC only getting better, signing Bryant would be a low-cost, high-upside move that potentially tips the scales toward the Frozen Tundra.