Packers Among Betting Favorites To Sign Dez Bryant
The Green Bay Packers have gotten a combined four receptions for 32 yards from receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison the past two games.
The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Packers didn’t put in a waiver claim on Josh Gordon last week. So, if general manager Brian Gutekunst isn’t satisfied with what he’s got behind Davante Adams, where could he turn?
How about Dez Bryant? With Bryant nearing a return from a torn Achilles, here are betting odds provided by SportsBetting.ag.
New Orleans Saints: +150 (3/2)
New England Patriots: +400 (4/1)
Green Bay Packers: +450 (9/2)
Buffalo Bills: +700 (7/1)
Seattle Seahawks: +700 (7/1)
Baltimore Ravens: +800 (8/1)
Houston Texans: +900 (9/1)
San Francisco 49ers: +1000 (10/1)
Carolina Panthers: +1200 (12/1)
Bryant announced on Twitter that he’s going to start reaching out to NFL teams in a couple weeks. Bryant was released by the Cowboys in April 2018 and signed with the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 7. Two days later, almost exactly one year ago, he suffered a torn Achilles at practice. Bryant said he’s not looking to be a starter. Rather, he wants to be a contributor.
Whether he would want to be a contributor for Green Bay remains to be seen. He's said he would not play for the Packers, but time (and money and opportunity) often speak loudest.
In eight NFL seasons, all with Dallas, Bryant has posted 531 receptions for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns. He was a three-time Pro Bowler. When last healthy in 2017, he recorded 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns. He turned 31 on Monday.
Given how Gutekunst elected not to make a move at receiver at the trade deadline, more likely than not the Packers will be content to stick with their current group for a possible playoff run. In a question on Thursday about why receiver Ryan Grant hasn’t played, for instance, coach Matt LaFleur provided an endorsement of his group of receivers.
“He could go out today and contribute. He’s fully acclimated,” LaFleur said. “It’s just one of those deals, who do you put down? Those other guys, to their credit, have done a great job. It’s just more or less the opportunity really hasn’t presented itself yet.”
