PAUL BRUNO
NUTLEY, NJ
With the Cowboys missing the playoffs this year, and knowing that most of the regulars are locks for next year, do you think that players like Cooper Rush, Noah Brown, and others will start this week or see significant minutes?
Bryan:I would like to see that happen. There is no need to expose any of your starters in a meaningless game. Give some young backups the opportunity to get some playing time and valuable experience for evaluation.
David:I hope so. Personally, I don't see much of a reason to be playing starters – especially Pro Bowl-caliber starters – in this game. Tyron Smith and Sean Lee have been battling injuries all year. Dak Prescott has taken a beating over the last eight weeks – and on and on. I'd love to see the younger guys get an audition for next year. After all, it's not like one game is going to make a world of difference for any of your veterans.
PATRICK GENOVA
MONROE, NC
Is it me or does anyone else think that since giving the big contract to Dez, he has not lived up to the contract and it is time for Dallas to either release or trade him and go after another wide receiver in the first round? I just don't see his value. He costs more than what he brings.
Bryan:Offense has a lot to do with that. On 47 percent of the snaps, you're running the ball. It's clear that Dez Bryant and Dak Prescott are not on the same page at this point -- but to be honest, I didn't expect it to be easy. Bryant and Romo had a certain understanding of where Bryant was going to be in the route and where the ball needed to be. Prescott is not as accurate as Romo and at this point doesn't have the ability to throw him open. Sure you can blame some issues on Bryant but in this case, it's really a two-way street.
David:It's not just you – I can assure you of that. That said, I think it's a lot easier said than done to make some of these moves. Trading Dez's $12 million salary doesn't seem very plausible to me – not unless you can get him to agree to a pay cut. You could release him, which would save you money, but then you essentially have to address the position in the draft. I know it's been a disappointing season for him, but I'm not sure the solution is as easy as a lot of people would think.
