Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Dez Bryant Contract Dispute Resolved Soon?

What we know about each NFL team after minicamps | FOX Sports
Alex Marvez offers up his post-minicamp thoughts on each NFL team, and here's what he has on the Cowboys.

I'm expecting a happy ending to the Dez Bryant contract squabble.

While his agents probably weren't thrilled, it spoke volumes about Bryant's desire to reach a long-term deal with the Cowboys that he attended minicamp Thursday to speak directly with team owner Jerry Jones one day after expressing his dissatisfaction with talks on Twitter. With Bryant designated as their franchise player, Dallas has until July 15 to reach agreement with Bryant on a multiyear contract. Otherwise, Bryant will be playing under a one-year, $12.8 million tender and no further negotiations can take place until the start of the 2016 offseason. One of the few winners in the Bryant-Cowboys standout is Devin Street. He has received Bryant's starting reps during practice and is poised to make a much bigger impact than in a two-catch rookie season.

Bob Sturm: Why I cautiously still lean to Dez’s side in contract stalemate with Cowboys | Dallas Morning News
Sturm says $30-$35m in guaranteed money should do the trick for Bryant.

We don’t know what Dez wants exactly and we don’t know exactly what the Cowboys are doing either. But, we do know that the Cowboys have a few repeated leaks to familiar media types about the nature of the offer that has been on the table – the one that looks like Tyron’s deal of over $100m with just $20m in guarantees – and while it is possible that they have bettered that offer, we also have heard both sides hint that there have been almost no talks in months and since Dez changed agents.

So, if one side is offering an offer that is not competitive with deals that others have received who are not as good as Dez, then public favor goes in his direction (at least from me). I don’t know his price hopes, but I can see the Cowboys offer as light. If that guarantee moves to $30-$35m, now they can say it is a deal that guarantees him more money than anyone but Megatron. But, they haven’t said that, so we are left to wonder if the deal they have is the one that was reported back in November. We must be careful, but I still lean toward’s 88 point of view, even though nobody wants to hear that $12.8m is insulting.

Video: When will we see Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant back on the field? - NFL.com
NFL Media's Brian Baldinger and Michael Robinson analyze talk about when Cowboy's wide receiver Dez Bryant will settle his contract dispute and return to practice. Both agree Dez won't miss any games. The video includes some highlights of what Bryant does for the Cowboys.

Bob Sturm: WR position not as valued as some others; so what makes Dez so valuable to Cowboys? | Dallas Morning News
Sturm succinctly explains Bryant's contribution to the team, a contribution that goes far beyond simple receiving yards.

We have had ordinary receivers here many times – who do not demand double teams and safety attention – and it just causes so much difficulty elsewhere. It makes running harder, it makes pass protection harder. Dez showed on several occasions – notably against the Eagles, Giants, and Packers that if you do not double team Dez, you will be destroyed. But, if you DO double team Dez, then we will have a numbers advantage on the ground. He gives the Cowboys a real edge on offense that is tough to quantify in dollars, but it is evident.

Moore: Cowboys will take brief break, but storm is waiting upon return | David Moore, Dallas Morning News
Moore delivers something akin to an offseason state of the union for the Cowboys. One aspect he touches on is that while the Cowboys are off for 37 days until camp starts, there are a number unresolved issues that need to be taken care of by then: Dez Bryant's contract, Brandon Carr's cap hit, and Greg Hardy's suspension.

Bob Sturm: Here’s when Dez gets his deal from Cowboys | Dallas Morning News
Sturm answers a reader question about when a deal with Bryant will get done.

Question: I know things don’t look good now for a long term deal with Dez but would it surprise you if they got a deal done right at the deadline? Deadlines tend to create urgency for both sides.

Bob Sturm: I fully expect that. Neither side wants this to get ugly. July 14th is deal day. I think.

Jerry Jones likes what he sees from Randy Gregory | ProFootballTalk
While PFT piggybacks on an article by Charean Williams from the Star-Telegram titled "Cowboys rookie Randy Gregory doing all the right things, including adding healthy weight," they easily have the better headline.

"It’s easy to see his talent, very easy to see," Jones said, via the Star-Telegram. "His willingness to take coaching from his teammates, as well as the coaches themselves – all of those things, you like. Those are intangibles."

Games Started By Each Team’s Top 22 Starters - Footballperspective.com
The 2014 Cowboys had a lot of continuity on offense. Each of the team’s 11 main starters on offense started at least 11 games. In total, Dallas had its top 22 starters start an average of 14.5 games last year, the most in the NFL.

Former Eagles guard Evan Mathis grades his own tape - SI.com
This is an interesting read not because it's about a former Eagle, but because Doug Farrar selects five plays to evaluate Evan Mathis with, and Mathis provides his own take on each play. Doesn't hurt that three of the plays are against the Cowboys.

Ravens are using illegal formations in practice because of Patriots - CBSSports.com
In what reads like a plot to a bad Charles Bronson movie, the Ravens don't trust the NFL authorities and are taking the law into their own hands.

"We're working on formations -- legal formations, illegal formations, unexpected formations," Harbaugh said this week, via For the Win. "We will not assume that the referees are going to understand or always get it right when a formation goes out on the field, so we're working on everything."