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Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Dez Bryant Holdout Unlikely Despite Report

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Friday afternoon brought a frenzy of rumors and reports about Dez Bryant possibly skipping the Dallas Cowboys’ 2015 season opener against the New York Giants, or even more games in an actual holdout. While there’s surely some merit to that considering the source, let’s not jump the gun here.

The quote that is most interesting is Bryant possibly “pulling an Emmitt Smith,” which cites the running back holding out the first two games of the 1993 season, both losses by the defending champion Cowboys. Smith went on to win the NFL rushing title, league MVP award and Super Bowl MVP honor. While there are some similarities to Smith’s situation then and Bryant’s now, don’t get caught up in the drama.

For one, Bryant simply enjoys playing way too much to voluntarily sit out games, especially considering he has a $12.8 million franchise tag on the table. Most players who are holding out don’t come to team facilities to work out as Bryant has this offseason. Why has he done that? He just likes being there.

Regardless of that, the front office mindset of the Cowboys is drastically different now than it was in the summer of 1993. DeMarco Murray is the modern-day comparison to Smith of that year and he’s long gone. That means Dallas will rely more on Bryant in 2014 than any prior season and the team is committed to signing him to a long-term contract – the details just have to be ironed out.

It’s not that the Cowboys aren’t willing to give Bryant the big payday he’s earned on the field; they’re just making sure he’s not going to do anything stupid with the huge amount of guaranteed money he’s about to get. Bryant knows that and, no matter how hard his agent tries to convince him otherwise, Dallas is indeed loyal to him and prepared to make him a Cowboy for life.

With Jerry Jones calling the shots back in 1993 while trying to spite Jimmy Johnson at every turn, it’s no wonder Smith’s situation ended in a holdout. Plus, Smith simply wanted to be the highest-paid back in the league; he wasn’t trying to re-sign as a free agent. Now with a much more level-headed Stephen Jones commanding the salary cap, Bryant’s new deal is part of the master plan.

Sure, letting Murray go was tough, but Jones did it knowing he’d need the cap room to give Bryant a new deal, sign draft picks and bring in quality free agents without putting the Cowboys in an even worse salary cap situation than they already are. Having said that, he did restructure Tony Romo’s deal yet again, which will only make cap matters worse, but it will allow the team to ultimately end the Bryant contract drama once and for all.

Expect Bryant to be starting for the Cowboys in Week 1 and then expect him to have a huge year after that. With Murray now gone, he’s likely going to have to put up career numbers for Dallas to finish 12-4 again.

Follow Jeric Griffin on Twitter @Jeric Griffin, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google

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