Dez Bryant Becomes 3rd Cowboy with 3 Straight 1,000-Yard Receiving Seasons

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant went over 1,000 yards for the season during Thursday's 41-28 win over the Chicago Bears, making him just the third player in franchise history to record three consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Bryant finds himself in rather excellent company, joining Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (1991-1995) and future Hall of Famer Terrell Owens (2006-2008) as the only Cowboys to accomplish the feat.

Bryant had 1,382 receiving yards in 2012 and 1,233 yards last season, good for fourth and ninth places on the Cowboys' single-season list.

He entered Thursday's contest with 952 receiving yards this season, needing just 48 to hit the milestone for a third consecutive year.

Bryant came out of the gates fast against a shaky Chicago defense, catching three passes for 24 yards on the first drive, which ultimately ended with a punt.

He then caught two passes for 15 yards in the second quarter, leaving him nine yards shy of 1,000 as the Cowboys entered halftime with a 14-7 lead.

Bryant only caught one pass after the break, but it went for an impressive 43-yard gain to set up Tony Romo's six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gavin Escobar midway through the fourth quarter.

While he didn't draw a target for the rest of the night, Bryant finished with six catches for 82 yards, giving him 73 receptions for 1,034 yards on the season. He's on pace to finish with 1,273 receiving yards, which Pro-Football-Reference.com indicates would mark the eighth-best single-season total in franchise history.

The Cowboys may have some tough decisions to make after the season, as Spotrac shows that both Bryant and star running back DeMarco Murray are slated to hit free agency.

The team will presumably do whatever it can to keep both players, and while Murray is having the more historic season, Bryant's position typically commands far more money.