Dallas Cowboys Roster & Rumors: Dez Bryant Visited Camp But Did Not Participate
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has visited his team's camp but did not participate in the activities.
The 26-year-old football player surprised the Cowboys who were on their last day of minicamp at Arlington, ESPN informed.
Bryant, who tallied 1,320 receiving yards last season, was officially franchise tagged by the team in March, announced CBS Sports via Twitter. This means, Bryant will receive a $12.83 million on a one-year, guaranteed contract and if slapped by franchise tag again next season, he will get $15.25 million or 120 percent of his salary, explained CBS Sports.
However, until now, he hasn't signed the lucrative one-year deal. He recently took to Twitter to explain why he is still taking his time. He seemed to be waiting for a more "secured" deal with the Cowboys.
Still, his appearance at the team's AT&T Stadium camp made his head coach, Jason Garrett, glad, added ESPN.
"It's great to have him here. Dez obviously hasn't signed his franchise deal yet, so he's not practicing," Garrett said.
It must have been hard for Bryant to just sit there and watch his team, but the Cowboys' coach commented, "that's not under any of our control."
"Dez is preparing himself to play football, and there's a business side of the NFL that's real. It's real for our team. It's real for every team in this league," Garret added.
Yet the coach is confident that everything will be settled soon.
"I know Dez. I know his mindset. I know his mentality. I know he's working hard and hopefully we can get the business stuff resolved and he'll get back to playing football."
The coach then expressed how Bryant is an esteemed-player of the Cowboys.
"Dez is a special guy. He's obviously a heck of a football player, obviously very important to our football team. His approach is really well respected by anybody on our team, the guys he goes against. He's got a great passion for the game, and it's great to have him here," Garrett shared.
His worth is obviously known and felt by the team executive vice president, himself, Jerry Jones.
"Looks like we're eyeing a franchise tag on Dez, but certainly won't stop us from working hard to get a long-term deal...We just don't want to lose his rights. We think Dez is a, you know, unique player and certainly a big part of what we do in terms of what we've done, our success, and certainly going forward," Jones told Fox Sports.
Bryant and Jones were also seen having a 10-15 minute talk on the field during the minicamp. Whether it was a conversation regarding the deal or just a simple "How do you do?," at least the chat seemed to indicate that they are in good terms and they respect each other's side.
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