The Dallas Cowboys are heading into mandatory minicamp with the Dez Bryant contract as the main priority for Jerry Jones and this comes as Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden are battling to start for Tony Romo, while La'el Collins could push into the starting lineup after lining up at tackle and guard in OTA workouts for Jason Garrett.
The Cowboys main concern is Dez Bryant and there is a chance that he could hold out of training camp while trying to get a long term contract. According to Pro Football Talk, Chris Mortensen from ESPN has reported that Bryant "may skip the first game" of the NFL season if he does not get a long term contract from the Cowboys. Bryant confirmed the news to told Mike Silver of NFL Media and he reported that "it's not a rumor. It's legit."
The Cowboys came into OTA workouts wondering if Dez Bryant would show up and now that he has, contract talks could start moving for the wideout. According to ESPN Dallas, the move by Bryant to participate in OTA workouts, even in a limited capacity, could be a good faith move by the wide receiver and the team could take that as a positive step in long term negotiations. Reports have said there has not been much movement on a deal, but ESPN.com reported that Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said "we'll make a push" to get a deal done with Bryant.
The two sides have until mid-July to get a deal done, as Bryant was hit with the franchise tag and could sign the tender deal for a one year contract at nearly $13 million. Bryant is looking for more than that and while there has not been "meaningful" talks in sometime between the two sides, showing up to workouts could get things moving in the right direction. The Dallas Morning News reported last month that the team wants "off field protection" in the contract and that could be a main sticking point for Bryant.
Bryant has been one main priority in offseason workouts, while the running back situation is also being worked out in camp. According to FOX Sports Southwest, Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle both have a chance to win the starting job and Randle could have a leg up heading into camp. McFadden is dealing with a hamstring issue and that could give Randle the chance to work with the first team offense early in camp.
McFadden was signed in the offseason to help replace DeMarco Murray and with the hamstring keeping him out of some workouts, Randle could get ahead in the competition. The Cowboys may look at adding another back, especially with McFadden injured, but both Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones have said that the team is satisfied with the depth chart right now. McFadden and Randle are at the top over Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams, who is also dealing with a knee issue. The team has worked out Daniel Thomas, Ben Tate and Felix Jones and could sign one of those players, according to Pro Football Talk.
