Do you remember the very first job you took in your career? You probably struggled the first few months as your mind drowned in all of the pressure of living up to your resume. You were supposed to make an immediate impact, chances are you didn’t. You had to first learn how to perform on your job. Just like in your situation, it will be extremely hard for rookie Wide Receive Dez Bryant to live up to expectations. The Oklahoma State star missed a majority of his junior season due to the controversy concerning his relationship with former NFL player, Deion Sanders. This means by the time the NFL regular season starts in September; Dez Bryant will not have played a meaningful football game in almost a full calendar year. One has to be concerned about his overall football shape. Remember the video we seen of him bent over in rookie mini camp? Rookies in the NFL are already behind and the lack of playing time this past year will surely hurt Bryant.
The contract negotiations are another problem that can keep Bryant from meeting those high expectations. The upcoming uncapped year is preventing owners from signing rookies to the deals they’ve seen in the past. Many agents see a possible rookie salary cap coming down in the future and they want to ask for as much cash as possible. There is a good chance that Bryant will end up in camp late because of the situations concerning the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. The later a wide out comes into camp, the longer it takes for them to contribute. Braylon Edwards held out during his rookie season and struggled to crack the number 3 wide out slot the entire year.
Dez Bryant must go against history if he wants to be a top contributor for the Dallas Cowboys. Over the past five years, there have been 17 wide receivers taken in the 1st round of the draft. Only one receiver, 2007 1st round pick Dwayne Bowe of Kansas City, had more than 65 receptions. That year Bowe totaled 70 receptions and 5 touchdowns on the year. The 2009 draft class produced last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, Percy Harvin of the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson was expected to be an absolute beast in his 2007 rookie season but only cranked out 48 receptions for 756 years and 4 touchdowns.
Most receivers have struggled historically in their first season in the league. They are no longer facing corners that will be bagging groceries at Kroger in a year or two. In the NFL, young receivers are facing the biggest, the fasters, and the strongest corners week in and week out. They have to learn that giving 85% will no longer guarantee you 100 yard games. Cowboys’ fans will have to realize that Dez Bryant must go through this learning curve as well. We want him to live up to his resume but like us; he has to learn how to perform on his job.
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