Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team has not had a No. 1 wide receiver in years.
FRISCO, Texas — As the Dallas Cowboys ‘ passing game flounders, there have been more and more calls for the team to re-sign Dez Bryant.
Last week, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that move would not be in the best interest of the team. On Tuesday, Jones told the Cowboys’ flagship radio network the team has not had a No. 1 receiver in « several years. »
A day after the Cowboys’ loss to the Texans, Jason Garrett said he and team owner/general manager Jerry Jones « talked about the thought process » behind the coach’s decision to punt on the first possession of overtime.
The Cowboys released Bryant in April in part because he was due to make $12.5 million in 2018 and had not produced at the level that earned him a $70 million contract in 2015 following three straight seasons in which he had at least 88 catches for at least 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns.
« I’m basically giving you my definition of a No. 1 receiver and it is Julio Jones. It is the guy we played the other night ( DeAndre Hopkins), » Jones told the station. « Those are the guys. There’s not but about a handful of those in the NFL. »
The Cowboys opted to replace Bryant with a committee approach at wide receiver, but through five games none of the six on the 53-man roster has reached 200 yards in the first five games. Cole Beasley has 17 catches for 193 yards to lead the receivers.
Hopkins had nine catches for 151 yards in the Houston Texans ‘ overtime win against the Cowboys on Sunday, including a 49-yard reception that set up the game-winning field goal.
Jones acknowledged teams can’t « remake your team personnel-wise, » during the season. The Cowboys tried to sign Sammy Watkins to a mega-contract as a free agent, but he opted to join the Kansas City Chiefs. The Cowboys added Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson in free agency and drafted Michael Gallup in the third round.
They have combined for 25 catches for 268 yards and one touchdown.
« We still have guys (that) in their way who can make the plays for us and we’ll continue to work the passing game, » Jones said. « Obviously we need to get better in the passing game. »
