The buzz around Dez Bryant has cooled off significantly in recent weeks, with the former Cowboys receiver, who was cut by Dallas this offseason, not really getting a lot of attention from teams in free agency. However, he's going to sign somewhere at some point. And his former teammate Jason Witten, now with ESPN on the "Monday Night Football" broadcast, has a couple of ideas.
Witten, appearing on the Adam Schefter Podcast, identified the Packers as the spot where he thinks Dez is "going to end up going to."
"I think Dez is certainly going to have some great opportunities. He's motivated, and I think he's going to end up going to the Green Bay Packers," Witten said. "I think that's a great spot for him. Aaron Rodgers, he throws that back shoulder throw so well, and Dez has great chemistry with a good quarterback that can put the ball wherever he wants. I still believe Dez can high point the football as good as any other wide receiver in the National Football League.
"You partner him up with Jimmy Graham and Aaron Rodgers, I think that offense can put up a lot of points. Losing Jordy Nelson, here in the offseason when they cut him, I think it's a win-win for the Packers. I look for him to go there, and really help them take the next step and get back on a playoff run."
Schefter was pretty surprised by that revelation, as he should be. Dez identified Green Bay as a place he does NOT want to go, because of all the history that he has in Green Bay. (Read: that one catch that wasn't a catch.)
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Witten, who noted he doesn't have any inside info on Green Bay, also pinpointed another possible landing spot for Bryant: the Saints.
"I don't have any insight on that. I just think Dez is a smart football player and so he understands how important the quarterback position is," Witten said. "And that's what's so unique about being a starting receiver in the National Football League -- his growth with Dak the last couple years was off the charts. Last year we didn't produce as well as an offense, his stats were a shell of themselves or what they used to be.
"I tell you another team he could go to is Drew Brees and the Saints. That's a vertical passing attack, they need somebody who can stretch the field and that X-factor that is Dez Bryant. I'm not certain he's going to go to the Packers, I just think that's a great fit, but he's going to partner with a good quarterback and have someone that he believes can contend him to a championship.
"Saints and Packers are kind of lead dogs in my opinion."
Either one of those landing spots for Dez would be BIG NEWS in terms of the buzz it generated. Bryant would be an interesting fit with the Packers -- Graham, Dez and Davante Adams would be pretty difficult to defend. The Packers are going to be explosive on offense regardless, but he could give them an added dimension. They'd be filthy in the red zone with him and Graham playing basketball in the end zone.
New Orleans would be fun to see, too. I could make a "the Saints need a tight end" joke here, but I won't. They do need some red-zone help on the receiving end, though, and Bryant would be a good fit with their current receiving corps. He doesn't need to be the top option with Michael Thomas in town, and would complement Ted Ginn/Cameron Meredith well.
Both teams can handle an explosive veteran presence like Dez, so it's not implausible that they end up securing the services of the star receiver.