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NEW ORLEANS – The Saints took a big step forward Wednesday to strengthen the broad body of receivers by agreeing to a one-year contract with Dez Bryant.
And the news of Bryant's arrival in The Big Easy was greeted with enthusiasm in the Saints' dressing room.
"If he can come help this team and give another dimension to our offensive, I'm laying the foundation for the X," defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins told NFL.com. "Listen, Dez Bryant has been a hell player in this league for a long time, and I know he can always contribute to a team and I'm glad it's us."
Quarterback Drew Brees echoed his defensive teammate.
"Dez has been a very good player in this league for a long time and his skills will certainly be beneficial," said Brees. "I look forward to working with him.I can not wait to build relationships with him.I can not wait to get him involved in this offense and become a complement to all the types we have." already."
Bryant, a selection of the first All-Pro team in 2014 and three-time Pro Bowler, has not played football since it was released by the Dallas Cowboys in the off-season after a drop in production over the past two seasons.
The Saints, however, kept a close eye on the 6-foot-2 and 230-pound Bryant after his release.
"We talked about it a bit during the off season," said Brees. "It was more complicated to know that a guy like that is there and it could happen to us at a time when we might need a guy like that." I think at the beginning of the season, we were not in this position, and then all of a sudden, a couple of guys get jostled and it becomes a place for him – it's really a guy who's been in our radar for a while. "
The timing was all for the Saints and Bryant, leading to both sides for this to happen.
Bryant will arrive Thursday morning and should immediately help the Saints to go on the attack once he is at the attack since New Orleans lacks a wide No. 2 wide receiver viable to Michael Thomas in nine games.
For an idea about the lack of large receiver production outside of Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr., who has a knee injury from the casualty pool, has not played since Week 4, but his 22 targets still rank at second rank of the underdogs behind Thomas.
Cameron Meredith has not been targeted for three consecutive games and rookie Tre-Quan Smith has 12 catches this season despite playing in eight games with four starts. Second-year professional Austin Carr, who started the season, has only five shots.
Bryant, 30, had previously played a role in the Cowboys, but this will not be the case in New Orleans. The Saints are 7-1 and support an offensive base of playmakers with Thomas, defensemen Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, halfback Benjamin Watson and even the awesome quarterback Taysom Hill.
What Bryant provides, however, is another weapon that Brees must take into account in one of the NFL's main offenses.
"It makes our offensive all the more dynamic and the question is obviously who will cover our team now," said halfback Zach Line at NFL.com. "Is it AK – is it Mark – is it Mike T – is it Dez – is it Tre? Quan? It's just another weapon in our system and we find ways to use everyone, and you can even include Taysom in this mix. "
Seconded Judge A.J. Klein agreed with force.
"We know that Dez is a competitor and that he's an excellent wide receiver in this league for a long time," Klein told NFL.com. "Whenever you can add that kind of talent to your team is very important."
In the meantime, it remains to be seen how the Saints plan to work at Bryant during training before Sunday's match.
He still has to learn one of the most complex offenses in the league, but with so many playmakers around him, all the saints should be demanding on a weekly basis the rest of the season, which will allow Bryant to beat the second or third corner half.
For a player with 531 career receptions for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Cowboys, this scenario works in favor of the Saints.
"It's not like you're handing him a game book and expect him to learn it overnight," Brees said. "It's one of those things that's a process, I think any new player coming in, especially a talented player, is a new verbiage.
"I do not know how much there will be postponement of what he's had in Dallas – it's probably not a lot – then it's a process." You bring it with you and you want to put him in a position to succeed, do not you? Take that for which he is really good, then integrate him into the offensive accordingly. We will have a plan for that as we go along. . "
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