Familiarity with key players

While Dez Bryant didn’t have the opportunity to play alongside Amari Cooper, he does already have experience with Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. It only helps that Prescott reportedly believes Bryant ‘should be on a team’ after seeing how he looks in workouts.

Something to take into consideration is that Prescott is simply a better quarterback now than when he last played with Bryant. He is coming off a season with career-best totals in passing yards (4,902) and touchdowns (30) while throwing just 11 interceptions.

There’s additional context to factor into the situation, too. Bryant was expected to be the Cowboys’ top receiver before being released. Now, he has a true number one receiver in Cooper that defenses prioritize trying to stop in their game-planning and coverage efforts.

Having Michael Gallup in the mix as the Cowboys’ clear-cut secondary receiver would only help Bryant as well. Simply put, the top coverage options would have to emphasize two receivers other than Bryant while he would benefit from better quarterback play than his previous stint.

The Cowboys would also be able to prioritize playing Bryant in the slot since that’s a need with Randall Cobb gone. He has the size to combat most a traditional nickel corner, find success with greater space, and operate within the middle of the field against zone.