The Dallas Cowboys made some headlines by signing controversial free agent Greg Hardy yesterday. The debate over Hardy's alleged domestic violence incident and his character overshadowed a more practical concern for the team: signing Hardy ate up a lot of their available cap space.
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One way the team could free up more space is by agreeing to a long-term deal with star wide receiver Dez Bryant. The two sides have been negotiating for a while now, but it seems that little progress has been made. While the sides have until July 15 to agree on a contract according to the franchise tag rules, Dallas may elect to make moves at the NFL Draft in May.
Dallas is already considering looking to the draft to fill their need at running back instead of trading for Adrian Peterson or signing a high-priced veteran (hence letting DeMarco Murray walk). Would they also think about drafting a receiver if the Bryant negotiations move slowly?
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This year's draft class is replete with talented wideouts, much like the 2014 class was. Dallas may not even need to expend an early-round pick to find a guy that could contribute in 2015. Would the Cowboys threaten to draft a receiver (or even trade Bryant for a high pick) in order to coerce Bryant into signing a deal?
The team has demonstrated unprecedented (for them) financial restraint this offseason, and they are apparently intent on staying the course in that regard. If the team feels that Bryant will never agree to a deal similar to what the team wants to offer, then the logical move would be for them to move on while they could still get a tremendous haul for him and find a potential replacement.
Obviously this move represents basically the last resort for Dallas, but given their newfound discipline toward team-building, it may not be entirely farfetched if progress does not start being made with Bryant's new deal.
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