Dez Bryant on OBJ’s Cowboys reunion proposal: ‘On a different mission at the moment’

Odell Beckham Jr. – refer to caption – CC BY-SA

Former WR Dez Bryant has dismissed his ex-teammate Odell Beckham Jr.’s idea of a Cowboys reunion, which came to him after he posted a video of him working out on Twitter.

“Grind life….Therapy,” Bryant tweeted. Beckham then replied the post, suggesting the 33-year-old make a return to the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL. “Dezzzzzz back to the boys!!!!!!!! Get home king.”

Later, Bryant responded diplomatically, saying he was focusing on something else. “I wouldn’t mind throwing the X up again in the Big D!!! But you know I’m grinding and on a different mission at the moment,” he wrote.

Hints to returning

Earlier in May, Bryant, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Cowboys, making the Pro Bowl three times, spoke to TMZ about his desire to play in the NFL again, but the Cowboys is not the only team in his mind.

“I’d love to play for the Arizona Cardinals. Kyler [Murray], [Kliff Kingsbury]—I love the swagger over there,” he said. “I just love the guys, especially DeAndre Hopkins—that’s my boy. We real close.”

Bryant also revealed that he is fine with taking a bit of a backseat in order to play for Kliff Kingsbury, adding he wouldn’t mind being a backup wideout and a locker room guy if needed. With his experience in the NFL, the Texas Native said that being a mentor to young players is important to him.

Bryant is most memorable for his catch with the Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round playoff against the Green Bay Packers in 2014. He appeared to pull down a highlight reel catch at the front corner of the end zone. However, officials would overrule the play and call it an incomplete catch.

The Cowboys lost the game 26-21, which understandably drove the fans mad — even today. That was the closest moment they would reach the NFC Championship since their last Super Bowl victory back in the 1995-1996 season.

**Past one’s prime**

Bryant has not played in the NFL since a six-game stint with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020. Those are the only six games he’s played since the end of the 2017 season.

He is not the same player as he was since the foot and ankle injury in 2015. He never reached 900 yards during his final three seasons with the Cowboys before his release after the 2017 season. In 2018, he suffered a torn Achilles after latching on with the New Orleans Saints.

Meanwhile, OBJ is still recovering from the injury he suffered in the last Super Bowl. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he would not be able to start in Week 1 even though the Los Angeles Rams desperately want the WR to return as soon as possible.

“But Beckham could take his time here because talking to teams,” Fowler said. “They don’t expect Beckham to be healthy until October or maybe even November, as far as ‘full-go’ back from that ACL.”

“So Beckham can take his time, maybe even wait until the first couple of weeks of the season, see who’s hot, who needs a receiver. He will likely go to a contender.”