Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Would Dez Bryant be a good fit in the San Francisco 49ers’ offense?
Aren’t the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers supposed to hate each other?
Back in the 1990s, these two teams used to duke it out for NFC supremacy. Whoever played better during the given NFL season usually wound up representing their conference in the Super Bowl. Flash forward to 2020 and a pair of offensive players from the defending NFC Champions are looking at adding former Cowboy standout wide receiver Dez Bryant into the fold.
On June 21, 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne tweeted at both Bryant and the 49ers’ official account a pair of eyeball emojis. Bourne’s teammate in running back Raheem Mostert replied to all three accounts with “Eww weee that’ll be fun!” Bryant quote tweeted Bourne’s original message just to let everyone on Twitter know he saw what’s up.
Are we ready to see Dez Bryant play for the San Francisco 49ers in 2020?
Bryant made be a three-time Pro Bowler and a First-Team All-Pro in 2014, but hasn’t played in an NFL game since he was a member of the 2017 Cowboys. Midway through the 2018 season, Bryant signed on with the New Orleans Saints, but ruptured his Achilles tendon and hasn’t been on a professional football field since. After spending 2019 out of football, is he ready to be back?
Well, Bryant is on the wrong side of 30, as 2020 will be his age-31 season. He was never an adept route runner at any point of his Dallas career, but he was a spectacular player for a while there with the Cowboys and collegiately for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12. While one could argue he still has something left in the football tank, he would have to go to the right situation.
One thing that does make the 49ers an intriguing fit for him is they are in need of any semblance of dynamism in the receiving game. Emmanuel Sanders was clearly just a rental, as he signed with the Saints after only a playing a few games with the 49ers after being traded over from the Denver Broncos.
The other interesting wrinkle here is the 49ers will also be down promising second-year pro Deebo Samuel at least for the early part of the season. He broke his foot this summer, and now the 49ers are in dire need of anything close to a No. 1 receiver. Bryant used to be, so that’s why guys like Bourne and Mostert are trying to recruit him to the Bay Area.
If Bryant does get back into the NFL, it just might be with a team like San Francisco.