The Facts: Bryant, 28, has dealt with several injuries over the last two seasons. They've caused him to miss 10 games and left him limited in several others. His statistics have suffered as a result. Critics have questioned if we'll ever again see the player who had three consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus yards and double-digit touchdowns. Bryant disagrees. "There have been times where I [am] seriously injured but I still go," he said. "I know for a fact that a lot of guys that play my position couldn't do that. The way that I feel now, I'm not dealing with really anything. I feel damn good. I know once I'm 100, I'm hard to deal with."
Diehards Line:
As Morning News staffer Jon Machota suggested, it's not ridiculous to think Bryant could return to his old level of production if he's on the field for 16 games. Opponents' No. 1 goal will be to shut down Ezekiel Elliott and the run game. That means Bryant should continue to see less double coverage. Meanwhile, Bryant's rapport with second-year quarterback Dak Prescott should improve with every practice repetition. Bryant's best game of the last two seasons came in the last game he played. In the playoff loss to Green Bay, Bryant caught nine Prescott passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Not including the season finale at Philadelphia where he only played 18 snaps, Bryant's numbers over his last eight games are similar to the stats he put up during his best individual season. Over the last eight, Bryant averaged 80.7 receiving yards and one touchdown per game. In 2014, Bryant averaged 82.5 yards and one touchdown per game. It's worth considering as you consider Bryant's 2017 prospects.