Does Marquise Lee’s knee injury open the door to Dez Bryant finding a home?

The NFL offseason has been nothing short of eventful. Free Agency frenzy rocked the League as it does every year. The Kirk Cousins-led domino effect on the quarterback carousel saw the Vikings, Cardinals, Broncos and Jets (now the Saints) welcome new faces at the game's most high profile position. The league's top defensive stars swapped jerseys too, with Richard Sherman joining the Niners, Aqib Talib across the state with the Rams and the Tyrann Mathieu headed to the AFC South with the Houston Texans. All of this before one the most anticipated drafts in years took place. The Browns baffled most of us and took Baker Mayfield at #1, Saquon went to #2 to the Giants and Sam Darnold went #3 to city-rivals the Jets.

But whilst all of this was going on, one of the faces of the League was cut and to this day still remains unsigned. Eight-year veteran Dez Bryant, drafted 24th Overall in the 2010 Draft by the Cowboys, was released by the only team he has played for on April 13 and is still yet to sign for another of the 31 teams in the League.

Bryant, a 3x Pro Bowl wide receiver, instantly became one of the hottest players on the Free Agency market despite only recording six touchdowns last season. Ending a winter of speculation of debate, the Cowboys decided to move on from one of their longest serving members; the same offseason future Hall of Famer, tight end Jason Witten called time on his illustrious NFL career.

Early reports had Baltimore as favourite for Bryant's landing spot and the Ravens offered him a 3-year deal but Dez, looking for a one year deal turned down a chance to work with exciting prospect Lamar Jackson.

Next came Cleveland, who already boast Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman as part of their receiving corps. Adding Bryant would make for a serious triple threat for a team looking to turn things around from last season's 0-16 record. Bryant reportedly met with the Browns but no contract was agreed with the Texas-born star wideout.

With the regular season fast approaching, teams are looking to cut down to their final 53-man rosters and Bryant remains unsigned. However, as is the case in all sports, injuries happen.

In the first quarter of their third Preseason matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars most senior wide receiver Marquise Lee went down and didn't get back up. Lee left the field on a cart surrounded by fellow wide receivers and tests following the game confirmed he will miss the entire 2018 season and undergo knee surgery. Dealing a devastating blow to a franchise that lost two of its leading men at the position in Free Agency.

It is not the first time the Jaguars have suffered injury problems in the infancy of a season, they lost Allen Robinson for the whole of the 2017 season in the first quarter of last year's regular season opener. The Jags coped with the loss and ultimately made the AFC Championship Game, albeit on the back of a stellar defense. However, this year there remains a high-calibre wide receiver in Free Agency.

Although questions have been raised about Bryant's ability to play at the highest level, it is clear he could still have a lot to offer to a young roster.

During his time catching passes from Tony Romo, Bryant tormented the League and caught a career-high 16 TD passes in 2014, the season ending with the famous "non-catch" for which Bryant's career will most-likely be remembered. Despite a successful start to his career in the booth, Romo's career is not likely to be remembered for his play but for his injuries. Bryant's connection with Romo saw the two connect for over 50 touchdowns, a Cowboys franchise record. If Bryant could establish a similar confidence with Blake Bortles then he would surely be a strong addition to the roster.

2014, the year Bryant had his career high in touchdowns, also the year DeMarco Murray rushed for over 1800 yards and led the League in rushing yards. Bryant took advantage of defences looking to stop the rush and exploited Murray's success on the ground to haul in an impressive 1,320 yards through the air. Although the League is currently stacked with explosive backs such as Todd Gurley, Saquon Barkley and Laveon Bell, the Jaguars are also well-stocked in the running back department. Second year product, Leonard Fournette is expected to improve on an impressive rookie campaign that saw him produce over 1300 all purpose yards. Coupled with the addition of All-Pro Guard Andrew Norwell to help the Jags' offensive line, the platform for a strong running game is there and could be well complimented with a wideout threat such as Dez Bryant.

Following Lee's injury, the Jaguars are left with a fairly raw and inexperienced depth chart at WR. Donte Moncrief, who never lived up to his billing in Indianapolis with one of the most talented QBs in the League, would be the leader of the corps with only 18 career TDs in four years. Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook, both going in to their sophomore seasons, have 4 TDs and 69 receptions between them. DJ Chark, second round draft pick from LSU, is yet to play a regular season and would likely lineup fourth on the depth chart. This group of talented young receivers could benefit from an experienced head such as Dez Bryant, who could use the opportunity to show people he is not the loud-mouth, self-important character that was portrayed at times through his career in Dallas.

Aside from the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars were one of the best defenses in the NFL last time out and will continue to be so this season. The brazen and insulting trash-talking of Jalen Ramsey in recent weeks has an air of arrogance, reminiscent of that of the "Legion of Boom" in Seattle. Adding Bryant to the offense would be a major statement of intent for the Jags and would add some identity to a fairly reserved offensive roster that in the main, lets their defense do the talking.

#Although there are many factors that would indicate Bryant to be an ideal fit for the Jaguars, it seems unlikely they will pick up the option to sign the 2014 All-Pro wide receiver before the season, if at all. Bryant came out at the end of August saying, he will play football but "maybe a little later" than expected.

It seems unlikely that we won't see Dez Bryant on the field at all this year; however, there is the increasing likelihood that it may happen. As I said earlier injuries happen, and I'm sure openings will become available at the wide receiver position for someone as talented as Bryant to fill. It would be interesting to see him picked up by a franchise with an elite QB such as the Patriots or the Packers and see how Bryant connects with the likes of a Brady or a Rodgers.

But for now Jags fans, it looks like the opportunity to add another high-profile name to an already star-studded locker room is going to pass the Jaguars by.

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