Philadelphia Eagles could face a familiar foe in Week 11
By Alex DeMarzo
Reports are swirling that the Saints and Dez Bryant are in negotiations on a contract deal after being brought in for a workout earlier this week. What could this mean for the Philadelphia Eagles when Week 11 arrives?
Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles may find this interesting. Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant worked out for the New Orleans Saints yesterday, according to league sources who then communicated that info to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater.
Bryant reportedly left the facility without a deal, but the Saints liked what they saw from him. Both sides are in the process of negotiating a deal, Pelissero tweeted.
Here are the tweets from Rapoport and Pelissero:
Dez Bryant left New Orleans without a contract, but the #Saints liked what they saw and the sides are in negotiations on a deal, sources tell me, @SlaterNFL and @RapSheet. He’s been close before, so nothing’s done until it’s done, but all signs pointing that way.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2018
Dez Bryant left New Orleans without a contract, but the #Saints liked what they saw and the sides are in negotiations on a deal, sources tell me, @SlaterNFL and @RapSheet. He’s been close before, so nothing’s done until it’s done, but all signs pointing that way.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 7, 2018
Pelissero added, former Seattle Seahawks wideout Brandon Marshall and former Eagles wide receiver Kamar Aiken were also brought in for a workout, but it appears Bryant has piqued the Saints’ interest the most.
The 30-year-old has not played a single snap in an NFL game since Dallas released him back in April of this year.
Sometime during the week, if both parties agree to terms on a contract this means the Eagles will have to deal with Bryant when they are slated to play the Saints on Sunday, November 18 at 4:25 p.m. EST.
Dez Bryant’s numbers against Philadelphia
Since being drafted by Dallas in 2010, the three-time Pro Bowl wideout has played 13 regular season games against Philly.
Despite not having the most elite quarterbacks during his Cowboys tenure, Bryant has performed exceedingly well against the Eagles. In total, he has racked up 64 receptions on 113 targets accumulating 983 yards and 9 touchdowns.
His best year against ‘The Birds’ came in 2013 where he caught 53 percent of passes that were targeted to him while earning 209 yards and scoring one touchdown.
Would the addition of Bryant improve the Saint offense? Most likely, he will.
While it hard to tell how much of an immediate impact Bryant will make, this potential move shouldn’t hinder the explosive offense New Orleans possesses.
According to the NFL website, the Saints offense is ranked third in the league for points per game with nearly 35 points per game.
If the 7-1 Saints figure out a way to sign Bryant, they would be adding another weapon to an already stacked offense for quarterback Drew Brees to work with. That would make it that much harder for Philly and the rest of the NFL teams to game plan for them.