Demaryius Thomas is Worth Every Bit as Much as Dez Bryant
By Jason Lisk
Demaryius Thomasand Dez Bryantboth signed nearly identical large long-term contracts yesterday. Their careers have been tied together in so many ways, even before that happened. Denver opted for Thomas in the first round of the 2010 draft, two spots before the Dallas Cowboys took Dez Bryant. Both have worn recognizable #88 in the pros. They both had their breakout seasons in 2012: Thomas when the Broncos signed Peyton Manning, and Bryant after a healthy Tony Romo returned after missing much of the 2011 season.
On the football field, they have been consistently great, and ever-present. Neither has missed a game in the last three seasons. Bryant may have more highlight catches. By the numbers, Thomas has put up more yards and catches. Last year, Bryant was deservedly named first team all-pro for the first time in his career. Thomas had 299 more receiving yards and 23 more catches. Even accounting for the Broncos’ far more pass-happy ways as the Cowboys relied on their running game in 2014, Thomas made up a slightly higher percentage of team targets (30.3% to 28.5%), receptions (27.8% to 26.8%) and yards (33.9% to 32.9%). Bryant led the league, of course, in receiving touchdowns, while Thomas still had double digits in that category for the third straight year.
Off the field, while Bryant has remained clean, the Cowboys and Bryant were engaged in some wrangling behind the scenes. Rumors were often planted about Cowboy front office concerns about giving a big deal to Bryant, and there were the video rumors that surfaced. None of that drama (fair or not to Bryant) existed when it came to the Broncos and Thomas.
The two are now tied together after they reportedly legally colluded in reaching 5 year, $70 million deals with similar guaranteed money. Maybe it’s because Bryant is with the Cowboys, maybe because he generates more clicks and attention on Sundays, but I’m not sure that people view them similarly.
Here’s something, though, that might change your mind. I know “fantasy value” may seem like a fantasy, but it can also be a quick way to compare players using both yards and touchdowns. Since the merger in 1970, four players have been top 5 in receiver fantasy points every year from age 25 to age 27.
Demaryius Thomas over the last three years is one of them. The other three? Jerry Rice (1987-1989), Michael Irvin (1991-1993), and James Lofton (1981-1983). All three are enshrined in Canton. For any discounting of Thomas because of the Manning factor, Rice and Irvin did that with Hall of Fame quarterbacks, who were younger than the current version of Manning. (Lofton, meanwhile, got to play with the immortal and underrated Lynn Dickey). Yes, Manning is probably the best quarterback of our time, but he experienced a revival after leaving Indianapolis, in part, because he joined a team that included Demaryius Thomas–and the front office has shown which receivers they valued the most in that revival since Eric Decker and Julius Thomas have been allowed to leave.
Manning won’t be there forever, maybe not past this season, but tomorrow is guaranteed to no one in the NFL. You sign the best players, to give your team the best chance. We don’t know who will be throwing passes to either of these guys at the end of these deals. The teams will still be better off having them (A.J. Green, for example, isn’t less valuable to Cincinnati because they have Andy Dalton instead of Tony Romo or Peyton Manning).
Dez Bryant is a star, but the comparison between Bryant and Thomas will continue into the future, and it’s not clear-cut who history will favor a decade from now.