Dez Bryant skips Cowboys' minicamp amid contract dispute
— -- IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys opened their minicamp Tuesday without Dez Bryant present, which is not surprising because the star wide receiver has yet to sign the $12.823 million franchise-tag tender.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he is not concerned with the possibility Bryant might not show up when the regular season begins, which ESPN Insider Chris Mortensen reported last week.
"That's being floated by other people," Garrett said. "We're not really focused on that. Dez is getting ready to come to work. He's going to work hard every day whether he's in the building or outside the building. The guys that are here every day are going to work hard.
"Dez loves football. He's got a great passion for the game. He's got a great passion for our team. He'll take care of his business. We'll take care of our business and hopefully all that stuff will be worked out sooner rather than later."
Bryant, however, acknowledged to the NFL Network that the possibility of missing regular-season games is "legit."
While it may be legit, it would not help his bargaining position. Bryant and the Cowboys have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal, or he has to play the season on the franchise tag. By missing a game, Bryant would cost himself roughly $754,000. The only possible benefit would be if the Cowboys would agree not to use the franchise or transition tag on him in 2016.
The Cowboys have not had any meaningful discussions with Bryant's agent, Tom Condon, after a brief meeting following the NFL scouting combine in February. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said two weeks ago the Cowboys would attempt to push for a deal before the July 15 deadline.
Bryant has been one of the best receivers in the NFL over the past three years. He is the first Cowboys receiver with three straight 80-catch, 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown seasons and has been named to the Pro Bowl the past two years. He led the NFL in touchdown receptions last year with 16.
Bryant showed up on a handful of occasions to the offseason program for workouts and even took part in individual drills during one organized team activity. He is not required to be at the mandatory minicamp because he is not under contract.
With him skipping the camp, the next question becomes whether he'll be on the team's charter flight to Oxnard, California, for the start of training camp on July 28.
"Dez is getting himself ready," Garrett said. "He's in a situation where the business of the NFL is kind of taking precedence right now, but he's working hard on his own away from our building. It's not a unique situation when you're a franchise player for guys to do that. But Dez loves football. Dez wants to be great. He wants our team to be great."
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