Detroit Lions: Top Five Free Agent Wide Receivers they should Consider
By Bob Heyrman
The other, more successful Bryant. The Detroit Lions could kick the tires on Dez Bryant who remains an unrestricted free agent.
Bryant remained out of football all of last season. That is the first concern; the other is with Dez having a history of talking and potentially disrupting a close locker room. I’m not saying he’s a Terrell Owens type distraction, but he doesn’t go about his business quietly that’s for sure.
Another problem is his on the field play. Bryant was let go by a Dallas Cowboys team starving for wide-receivers. Although the move was salary based, the one-time star struggled mightily to gain any type of downfield separation over his last two NFL seasons.
In 2017 Bryant recorded 838 yards, snagging 69 balls totaling 6 touchdowns. A far cry from his regular double-digit scores and 1300-plus yard totals during his prime. Like many receivers on the decline, he’d often blame his suffering production on a lack of targets. Well, he was targeted 132 times in ’17 and only recorded those 69 catches for a catch rate of 52.3%.
Although I believe the Detroit Lions should weigh all of their options, including Dez, I don’t see him as a fit in Detroit. I think he’d be a solid fourth wide-receiver, but I don’t expect he’d be willing to accept that on a team that’s not a shoo-in for the playoffs. He signed with the New Orleans Saints late last season but suffered a devastating achilles injury on his second day of practice with his new team that ended his season before it really began.
The Achilles injury is another reason the Detroit Lions should shy away from the veteran receiver who had already lost a step. Bryant’s career might be long in the tooth, but might not be completely finished. The 30-year old once again will likely try and latch on to a Super Bowl contender (Detroit doesn’t fit that mold) like New England, New Orleans or maybe even a team like the Chargers.