I look back on the years that I have followed the Dallas Cowboys and some of the brightest memories occurred when someone like Deion Sanders took a punt the distance. Before Sanders, it was Kelvin Martin and Kevin Williams. Before them, it was Butch Johnson. Before him, it was Bullet Bob Hayes.
While it might be scary to consider, because of his injury risk, Dez Bryant's name might have to be added to that list. The Cowboys don't have any other choice when you look at their roster moves. They released Bryan McCann, who was their expected punt returner this season. Then they waived Dwayne Harris, who led the team with 11 returns on the season. Next up was Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, who Dallas just released as well.
Kevin Ogletree and Dez Bryant are the only two players on the roster with a punt return this season. Bryant has five attempts, fair catching two of them, while returning the other three for 47 yards, a 9.4 yard-per-attempt average.
While Bryant has been a little less than spectacular in the receiving game this season, he is still the best player on the team when it comes to the ability to break a big play. The punt return game will give him that chance. He showed exactly what he could do in the Miami game.
Dallas was down by two with time running down. Jason Garrett sent Bryant out to field the punt, knowing he needed a big play to get the offense rolling. Bryant took the punt and ran it back 20 yards to put Dallas in a good position to start their game-winning drive.
It is these little decisions that wins games for teams in the NFL.
Bryant just has to stay healthy. With Miles Austin out, opposing defenses have worked on shutting Bryant down, successfully, and Laurent Robinson responded with seven touchdowns. Imagine what the offense will look like when Austin comes back. Defenders will focus on Austin, leaving Bryant and Robinson available for more open looks. Add in Jason Witten and DeMarco Murray and this offense might be unstoppable.
Keep Bryant in the punt return game and you add another weapon to the Cowboys' arsenal. In 2010, Bryant returned two punts for touchdowns. I'd recommend not letting him return all the punts, maybe send in Felix Jones for a few, but when the game is on the line and Dallas needs a big punt return, there is no one I'd rather have back there than Dez Bryant.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team.
Source: Dallas Cowboys
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