Baltimore Ravens: It’s a Good Thing Dez Bryant Turned the Ravens Down

The Baltimore Ravens reportedly offered wide receiver Dez Bryant a contract this offseason and he turned it down—and that’s a good thing for the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens reportedly offered free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant a contract this offseason, but he turned them down. Despite the fact that Bryant remains unsigned currently, he recently said he has no regrets turning down the Ravens’ offer, and the Ravens offer—and the Ravens should feel the same.

Without a doubt, Bryant is a talented receiver, but he’s a big, physical possession receiver—something they already got when they signed Michael Crabtree.

Not to mention that Bryant has been gradually slowing down the past few years. After three straight years of surpassing 1,000 receiving yards between 2012 and 2014, Bryant had an injury-plagued season in 2015 in 2015, followed by the two worst seasons of his career since he’s been a full-time starter (as in, not his rookie year).

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Last year, Bryant played and started in all 16 games and finished the year with 69 catches for 838 yards and six touchdowns, and in 2016, he played in 13 games finishing the year with 50 catches for 796 yards and eight touchdowns.

What’s concerning about that is the fact that the Cowboys offense was not a bad offense by any stretch those two years. In fact, their passing game was excellent, as quarterback Dak Prescott had excellent rookie and sophomore seasons, so the fact that Bryant had two fairly below-average years (especially by his standards) in the midst of that isn’t a good sign.

The Baltimore Ravens also made better moves after moving on from Bryant, signing former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead, who should work very well as a slot receiver, which is what the team actually needed, rather than a player like Bryant.

The Baltimore Ravens had one of the worst passing games in the NFL last season, ranked 29th in total yards and dead last in yards per attempt. The team has worked hard on revitalizing that passing game this offseason, and spending Dez Bryant was not something they needed to do.

Next: Ravens Decline Breshad Perriman's Option

Dez Bryant doesn’t regret turning down the Baltimore Ravens’ offer—the Ravens shouldn’t either.