Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant believes he is worthy of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
Bryant made a case for himself during an interview with TMZ Sports this week:
Bryant said he is "of course" Hall of Fame-worthy before adding: "Nobody put up TDs the way I put up. Not as fast."
Bryant was the No. 24 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft out of Oklahoma State, and it didn't take him long to establish himself as one of the top wideouts in the league as a member of the Cowboys.
He put up especially huge numbers from 2012 to 2014, scoring double-digit touchdowns in each of those seasons and averaging 91 receptions for over 1,311 yards and nearly 14 touchdowns.
Bryant was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time First-Team All-Pro in his eight seasons in Dallas, and in 113 regular-season games as a member of the Cowboys, he recorded a total of 531 catches for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns.
Bryant is third in Cowboys history in receptions and fifth in receiving yardage, but he is the franchise's all-time leader in touchdown catches.
Making that feat even more impressive is the fact that he played fewer games with the Cowboys than each of the next four players (Jason Witten, Bob Hayes, Michael Irvin and Tony Hill) on Dallas' receiving touchdowns list.
Witten is a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer, while both Hayes and Irvin have already taken their rightful spots in Canton, Ohio.
Bryant's chances are hurt by the fact that his production dropped off in his final few years in Dallas, as well as his two-year hiatus from the NFL.
Dez signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2018, but he tore his Achilles before ever playing in a game for them. He then went unsigned in 2019 before finally making his NFL return last season.
Bryant appeared in six regular-season games for the Baltimore Ravens, making six catches for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
While Bryant is set to become a free agent, he has made it clear that he wants to continue playing in 2021. If he catches on with another team, he'll need to be far more productive than he was last season in order to put himself on the Hall of Fame radar.
