Dak Prescott on Cowboys Releasing Dez Bryant: 'Sad News. That's a Brother to Me'

On Saturday, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott commented on the team's decision to release wide receiver Dez Bryant, telling reporters:

"It's sad news. That's a brother to me. Put the football stuff behind you, and what he meant to me as a person, what he meant to me as a brother, it's tough to see him go. It shows you it's a business. All it does is motivate me and puts all this in perspective. Just got to go to work."

He also mentioned what Bryant's departure will mean on the field, saying: "Dez is going to be a hard guy to replace. He's a talented guy, so he'll be missed."

While Prescott and Bryant never developed the connection that Bryant had with Tony Romo on the field, Bryant was still the Cowboys' leader in every major receiving category last season.

Bryant only finished with 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns, though, which wasn't good enough for a No. 1 target in an offense that had to lean more heavily on the passing game during running back Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension.

The 29-year-old wideout's last highly productive season came in 2014, when he reeled in 88 catches for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns. That marked the third consecutive year that he had registered at least 1,200 yards and 12 scores.

With Bryant gone, Prescott will rely on tight end Jason Witten and wide receivers Terrance Williams, Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley and Deonte Thompson.

Dallas also owns the No. 19 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, which means it could look for a rookie replacement for Bryant in the form of Alabama's Calvin Ridley, Texas A&M's Christian Kirk, SMU's Courtland Sutton or Maryland's D.J. Moore, among others.