Stephen Jones: Cowboys Signing Allen Hurns Wasn't to Force Out Dez Bryant

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has maintained that signing wide receivers Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson this offseason isn't an indication that Dez Bryant's time in Dallas is drawing to a close, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com and Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram:

Bryant, 29, is coming off another down season that saw him accumulate just 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns, well below the lofty standards he set earlier in his career. 

Since posting three straight seasons with at least 88 receptions, 1,200 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns between 2012-14 and establishing himself as an elite wide receiver, Bryant has taken a step back. Between 2015-16 he missed 10 games, and his numbers in the games he did play—81 receptions for 1,197 yards and 11 scores—represented what he would have been expected to produce over the course of 16 games, not 22.

Add in the fact that he has a cap hit of $16.5 million for both the 2018-19 seasons, per Spotrac.com, and it isn't hard to see why the Cowboys may consider moving on.

One reason they may not move on, however? Owner Jerry Jones wants Bryant to stay.

"As I sit here, do we want him on the team next year?" Jones said in early March, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. "The answer is yes."

That doesn't mean the team won't consider restructuring Bryant's deal or asking him to take a pay cut, however.

"We have addressed guys in the prime of their careers' contract[s] before," Jones said, per Archer. "We have made adjustments in their contracts. We continue to look for ways to improve your value on your roster. But Dez has a history with me on the Cowboys of working with his money. He is not the only one that that's happened."

Stephen Jones has also hinted that the team is taking a long and hard look at Bryant's contract.

"No one wants to compete and get after it more than Dez. At the same time, we all know this is a business where everybody has to be accountable," he said in February, per Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. "Certainly everybody knows that. That’s a tough one. Certainly we’re going to be grinding it out and trying to determine what is in the best interest of our business."

Per Davison, Bryant has previously indicated he has no interest in taking a pay cut. In Hurns and Thompson, the Cowboys may have added leverage in the form of a backup plan. If Bryant isn't willing to negotiate, the team has other options at the position.

Neither is as talented as Bryant, it should be noted. Not by a wide margin. But Bryant hasn't played like an elite receiver the past three years, either, making his potential showdown with the Cowboys a fascinating one.