Browns signing Dez Bryant would be amazing for more than just Hard Knocks

Dez Bryant is still a free agent, but the Cleveland Browns might change that in the near future.

When Dez Bryant was mercilessly cut loose by the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, it was widely believed that he would sign with a Super Bowl contender. We believed that because it was coming from Dez himself.

Yet, as training camps across the league prepare to open, Dez is still a free agent. The Cleveland Browns are not the Super Bowl contender anyone had in mind to sign Dez mostly because they’re not a Super Bowl contender at all. But we might be reaching the point where Cleveland and Dez are the only options for each other.

Nothing is remotely close to happening, but Mary Kay Cabot passes along word that the Browns have been sniffing around the Dez Bryant market with real interest.

That’s a bold move, but one that shouldn’t get harped on as badly as it probably will. Bryant to the Browns seems like a lose-lose, in that there’s no chance Cleveland is playing in the Super Bowl this year and it seems like the perfect scenario for Bryant to be a problem. One of the lasting images of him in Dallas is of him flipping out on the sidelines. Now imagine that on a worse team but with his spit freezing because it’s the middle of November.

But there’s an upside to this deal that people will overlook. For starters, getting Dez on the team in time for Hard Knocks is a golden publicity move. Everyone is going to tune in to see what happens, mostly because the outcome could be as previously stated.

Adding visibility to the team that doesn’t involve the negativity of losing every single regular season game is key. Cleveland is supposedly entering a brave new era of not being terrible, and adding a veteran like Dez helps on and off the field. Where HBO cameras will bring attention to the Browns, Dez’s on-field contribtions could help open up the offense. If Josh Gordon and Kenny Stills hit, the Browns will have a dynamic one-two combo that Dez would compliment beautifully. Unlike a potential fit in Houston, the Browns have a tight end to add to the mix, as well as a potentially deadly running game with Carolos Hyde.

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There are optics that might be hard to live with, however. Dez wouldn’t be the No. 1 option on the Cleveland Browns and he’d have to be okay with that. But if he signs a one-year deal and lights it up in helping bring the Browns back to somewhat prominence, that’s going to help him get that next big contract he’s been holding out for this summer.