Giants' Brandon Marshall Deletes IG Story Saying There's No Room for Dez Bryant

Brandon Marshall apparently doesn't want free-agent wideout Dez Bryant on the New York Giants.

According to NFL Update, Marshall published and then deleted the following post on Instagram on Tuesday:

Bryant, for what it's worth, provided comments to Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan (via 247Sports) that seemed to show interest in the Giants:   

"The Giants got a helluva defense, they're going to pay OBJ (fellow wideout and pal Odell Beckham Jr.), so coming back. Playing with him, Sterling (Shepard) ... the tight end (Evan Engram), (QB Eli) Manning? Crazy. ... They draft (Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick)? That'd be crazy!"

After being released by Dallas, Bryant also indicated he wants to remain in the NFC East, per Mickey Spagnola of the Cowboys' website:

Whether the Giants would sign Bryant is another story altogether. As Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post noted, "It is unlikely there would be room for both Marshall and Bryant on the Giants, and the Giants seem to be content sticking with Marshall."

For the team to bring aboard Bryant, it'd likely move on from Marshall's $6.2 million cap hit. But the Cowboys saved $8.5 million by cutting Bryant, whose salary for 2018 was set to be $12.5 million. It's hard to imagine he would sign on for less money than Marshall, meaning the Giants would have to add payroll to acquire him.

In terms of production, it's probably fair to posit that Bryant wouldn't offer much more bang for the buck either. He caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games last season. On a per-game basis, he averaged 4.3 catches, 52.4 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.

Contrast that to Marshall, who registered 18 receptions for 154 yards in just five contests during his injury-plagued 2017. That averages out to 3.6 catches and 30.8 yards a game.  

If Bryant were willing to take a substantial pay cut and earn somewhere in the ballpark of Marshall's salary, he'd be an upgrade. At 29, he's five years younger and more productive at this stage in his career. But considering he told reporters in December he wouldn't take a pay cut for 2018, it seems Bryant will end up elsewhere.