Even before linebacker Sean Lee was lost to a torn ACL, it looked like the Cowboys were going to need to put up some big numbers on offense if they’re going to challenge for a playoff spot this season.
Wide receiver Dez Bryant will be a big part of that effort, just as he has been while catching 185 passes and 25 touchdowns for the Cowboys over the last two seasons. Bryant has made it clear this offseason that he’d like to continue catching passes in Dallas beyond this season, but that will require an extension as his contract is up at the end of the 2014 season.
Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports that Bryant said that his agent has had “preliminary” talks on a new deal with the Cowboys and that the receiver is pushing to get a deal done before the start of the regular season.
“Yeah, I deserve it,” Bryant said. “I deserve it. I feel like I do. I put the work in, but I let that kind of stuff take care of itself. It is what it is. I let my agent talk about it and give me some feedback.”
There isn’t much chance that the Cowboys are going to let Bryant get away, so it will come down to a question of whether they get a deal done before they have to use the franchise tag to guarantee his return in 2015. Bryant didn’t rule out the possibility of a discount for the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2010 draft, a mindset that could help the two sides find agreement whenever talks pick up.