Dez Bryant is hoping to rejuvenate his career by catching passes from Drew Brees.
The former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver is signing a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Jane Slater. The pending deal comes one day after the free-agent wide receiver worked out for the team. Rapoport adds Bryant will officially sign Thursday. The team later made the announcement official.
Bryant, 30, was released by the Cowboys in April after his on-field productivity slipped in 2016 and 2017. The once dominant physical wideout hasn't surpassed 900 yards since signing a lucrative extension in 2015 -- an extension fueled by remarkable numbers he racked up en route to being named a first team All-Pro in 2014.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett held his standard Wednesday media session shortly after news of the signing broke and said he was happy to see Bryant get another opportunity.
"Dez is a great player," Garrett said, per the Dallas Morning News. "Really happy for him and that opportunity. I know he'll help their team.
"I love Dez. I wish nothing but the best for him. That's a great spot for him."
Entering his ninth season, it'll be interesting to see what kind of impact Bryant will have for a New Orleans offense that has its fair share of offensive weapons in Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
The big question is does Bryant still have the skill to be a game-changing wideout? The tape from the last two seasons says no. Bryant believes "garbage-ass play calling" was the culprit behind the Cowboys' offensive struggles last season -- a problem that ultimately plagued his production. Cowboys coaches reportedly believed they could see Bryant's gifted physical abilities begin to slip as early as his injury-ravaged 2015 season.
There's no guarantee Bryant will see anywhere near the same amount of targets he saw in Dallas.
Still, for a team looking to beef up its roster in hopes of a potential Super Bowl run, taking a chance on Bryant makes sense. If he can somehow get into the neighborhood of numbers he posted from 2012-14 or simply add another threat in the Saints' passing game, Bryant could end up being a wonderful investment for a Saints franchise seeking its second Super Bowl title.
