Free agent Dez Bryant has been linked to possibly signing a deal with the Browns. NFL training camps are underway, and although wide receiver Dez Bryant is still a free agent, he has plenty to say about his old team. The Dallas Cowboys released Bryant in April. It was perceived by some that Dallas mishandled Bryant's release because it happened so long after free agency started. The three-time Pro Bowler was scheduled to make $12.5 million each of the next two seasons with a $16.5 million cap hit each year. After being released, Bryant believed some of his teammates, the "Garrett guys," and others in the organization were to blame. On Friday, Sirius XM NFL Radio interviewed Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones about quarterback Dak Prescott's third season. Jones said it was "tough" for Prescott last season with Bryant "in his ear." The wide receiver was not too happy about that and took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the Cowboys. Bryant called his former teammate Sean Lee a "snake" and had a few things to say about the Cowboys' play calling. Cowboys Sean Lee and Travis Frederick were asked about Bryant's comments Friday during training camp. Additionally, Jason Witten, one of Bryant's former teammate in Dallas and another player mentioned by Jones in the Sirius XM interview, released a column on Friday prior to the tweets called "How Twitter has become NFL locker room poison." Bryant has recently been linked to possibly signing a deal with the Cleveland Browns.<doc-sep>The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles have been enjoying a nice, drama-free offseason. Not all of their NFC East rivals can say the same. The Dallas Cowboys have been in the news lately due to Jerry Jones’ stance on the national anthem. But that’s not even their most recent source of drama. Instead, it has to do with former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant responding to comments made by Jerry’s son, Stephen Jones. On Friday evening, SiriusXM NFL Radio tweeted a paraphrased section of their interview with Jones. The now-deleted tweet read: “Stephen Jones on Dak improving: Dak is working on his game & his accuracy. He hs to trust the system. I think that was tough last year with @DezBryant in his ear. I think he’ll have the year he had last year if not better! #Cowboys” Bryant, who was dropped by Dallas back in April, saw this tweet and responded by ripping the Cowboys’ coaching staff. Here we go with that scapegoat shit.. i charged everything to the game and went the other way.. y’all know what the real problem is .. don’t put it on me with that bullshit.. garbage ass play calling.. Everybody lined up in the same spot for 17 weeks.. https://t.co/YhG4cAPx6O — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 27, 2018 Bryant makes a fair point. Jason Garrett is not a good head coach. I mean, maybe he is. I doubt it. But we wouldn’t even know because he’s not allowed to actually do anything except clap on the sideline. Bryant didn’t stop there, though. He also went on to call out one the Cowboys’ most popular and talented players ... defensive captain Sean Lee. (Along with Cowboys center Travis Frederick.) He’s not clueless.. Jerry was the only one who was clueless.. shit was a planned to get me out ask Travis and my brother snake Lee I mean Sean Lee https://t.co/7BK9cEkW90 — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 27, 2018 Yea he suppose to been my brother .. we laughed talk about goals and stuff he sat right across from me in the locker room..never thought we had a problem.. I got cut.. he was the first to know.. I find out he was also behind it Damn!! https://t.co/KgNfu9f2uU — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 27, 2018 Lee later responded to Bryant’s comments after Cowboys training camp practice on Friday. Sean Lee had a short, firm statement on the comments directed at him by Dez Bryant earlier today #cowboyswire pic.twitter.com/8vH6lGxkQS — David Helman (@HelmanDC) July 28, 2018 Bryant has clearly been salty ever since he was released. He vowed to stay in the division in order to try to get revenge against the Cowboys twice a year. No NFC East teams have really showed interest in him, however, and he might end up out of the conference altogether with the Browns emerging as a potential suitor. From the Eagles’ perspective, it must be fun to watch the drama unfold between Bryant and his former team. You know, some quality entertainment for them to enjoy during their free time in training camp.<doc-sep>I don’t know if you heard the news, but Dez Bryant took to twitter to express his feelings, and they weren’t pleasant. This latest rant came as a result of a not liking the fact that his name was brought up by Stephen Jones in a recent interview courtesy of Sirius XM Radio. Here's the audio from the Cowboys Stephen Jones about @DezBryant from our training camp stop today... "He's gotta trust the system, which at times last year, there was pressure.. with Dez in his ear and to some degree Jason in his ear. Those great players want the ball" pic.twitter.com/DmjugEtU2c — SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) July 27, 2018 The part of contention has to be the “Dez in his ear” part. Bryant was clearly distraught last season when the Cowboys offense struggled at times. His aggravation was often times the topic of discussion for the broadcasters announcing the game. Bryant’s twitter tirade consisted of several tweets and in one of them he mentioned that it was planned to get him out and that you can ask Travis Frederick and Sean Lee, only he worded the last part like this: “my brother snake Lee, I mean Sean Lee.” After practice on Friday, the Cowboys All Pro linebacker took a moment to make a brief response about Dez’ comments. “First, to say that I can get anyone off the team and have any input on the roster is absurd. Second thing, I love Dez and I want the best for him. To be honest, we did butt heads because I wanted Dez to be more accountable to this team and his teammates and to be honest with you a lot of the team felt that way. I think he needs to look at himself and hold himself accountable. Thank you.” Here is the quick video of Lee’s response. #Cowboys LB Sean Lee‘s response to being called a “snake” by former teammate Dez Bryant today on Twitter pic.twitter.com/iAHpU3RUiK — Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) July 28, 2018 Bryant is no longer with the Cowboys, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t add a lot of excitement to training camp. I’ll say this. We’ve long given Dez credit for being the guy who brings the spark to training camp. Turns out he can do it when he’s not here, too. — David Helman (@HelmanDC) July 27, 2018 Distractions like this are exactly what the Cowboys don’t need as they try to rebound from last year. Jason Garrett spoke about focus in today’s press conference, that is maybe something the Cowboys from the very top to the bottom of their organization need to buy into. If the Cowboys are going to win in 2018, they need to look forward, not backwards.<doc-sep>Cowboys LB Sean Lee fires back on Dez Bryant's 'snake' tweet Dallas Cowboys' Sean Lee, left, shakes hands with Dez Bryant (88) on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade) OXNARD, Calif. (AP) -- Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee fired back at free agent receiver Dez Bryant on Friday after his former teammate called him a ''snake'' on Twitter while suggesting Lee played a role in the club's decision to release its career leader in touchdown catches. The exchange was prompted by a radio station's tweet from an interview with executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones. He suggested that quarterback Dak Prescott felt pressure to get the ball to Bryant. ''First thing, to say that I can get anybody off the team and have any input on a roster is absurd,'' Lee said. ''The second thing, I love Dez and I want the best for him. ''You know, to be honest, we did butt heads, because I wanted Dez to be more accountable to this team and his teammates. To be honest with you, a lot of the team felt that way. I think he needs to look at himself and hold himself accountable.'' In an expletive-laden response to the radio station's tweet, Bryant criticized the team's play-calling. A second tweet suggested ''my brother snake Lee I mean Sean Lee'' and center Travis Frederick had a hand in the decision to release Bryant. Frederick said it wasn't reasonable to think a fifth-year player, which he is, could wield influence on roster decisions. ''It's certainly disappointing,'' Frederick said. ''It's disappointing when you hear guys turn against each other, but I think in the end Dez was a great teammate of mine and I'd still consider him a friend.'' The radio station's original tweet didn't include all of Jones' quote, leaving out a portion that made a reference to tight end Jason Witten. The club's leader in catches and games retired after 15 seasons to go into broadcasting. The station sent a subsequent tweet with the portion about Witten. ''He's gotta trust the system, which at times last year, there was pressure, with Dez in his ear and to some degree Jason in his ear,'' Jones said in the radio interview. ''Those great players want the ball.'' Story continues Later, Jones said he didn't intend to criticize Bryant. ''You got great players like Dez and Witten, they want the ball,'' Jones said at Cowboys camp. ''Everybody sees it. It's on every team. They let the quarterback know that sometimes. In no way was it intended to be negative.'' Jones wouldn't discuss whether the front office solicited the opinions of players before releasing Bryant in April. Owner Jerry Jones said then, ''We arrived at this crossroad collectively with input from several voices within the organization.'' The owner's comments prompted a reply on twitter from Bryant, who wrote that was ''something he already knew.'' In interviews later that day, Bryant suggested that team captains and ''Garrett guys,'' in reference to coach Jason Garrett, played a role in his release. After seeing reports of Lee's response Friday, Bryant wrote on Twitter, ''he sat right across from me.. everything he said he could have addressed with me...sounds like a back stabber to me.'' Bryant's release came after three sub-par seasons following the $70, five-year contract he signed after his only All-Pro season in 2014. Cleveland has shown interest in signing him in recent days. Stephen Jones said he believes Bryant knows the Cowboys still have positive feelings for the three-time Pro Bowl player. Bryant's 73 touchdowns are two more than Hall of Famer Bob Hayes. ''Obviously these are tough times in terms how this has turned out,'' Stephen Jones said. ''Dez is thinking about his future and certainly not easy on anybody. No one knows more about what I think of Dez than me.'' --- More AP NFL: https://pro32.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL<doc-sep>
A rough week on the public relations front for the Dallas Cowboys didn't get any better Friday evening when Dez Bryant unleashed a series of critical — and at times profane and enigmatic — tweets aimed at his former team. Bryant's rant began when he responded to a tweet from a SiriusXM interview of team executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones, who appeared to suggest the former all-pro receiver hindered quarterback Dak Prescott's progress. Jones later said, however, his comments were taken out of context. Saying he was being scapegoated, Bryant responded: "Y’all know what the real problem is ... garbage ass play calling.. Everybody lined up in the same spot for 17 weeks." More:Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins on Jerry Jones' anthem comments: 'Glad I'm not a Dallas Cowboy' More:Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins issues challenge to supportive NFL owners: Stand up to Jerry Jones and his rhetoric Bryant then replied to a follower who slammed Jones as "clueless" by taking the conversation in an entirely different direction. "He’s not clueless," wrote Bryant. "(Owner) Jerry (Jones) was the only one who was clueless.. (expletive) was a planned to get me out ask Travis and my brother snake Lee I mean Sean Lee." It subsequently became clear that Bryant feels Lee, Dallas' mild-mannered Pro Bowl linebacker, helped orchestrate his release in April, a month after the NFL free agency period began. "Yea he suppose to been my brother," Bryant said in reference to Lee. "we laughed talk about goals and stuff he sat right across from me in the locker room..never thought we had a problem.. I got cut.. he was the first to know.. I find out he was also behind it Damn!!" Asked about Bryant's comments on Friday, Lee denied the accusation. “First thing, to say I can get anybody off the team and have input on the roster is absurd," Lee said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "Second thing, I love Dez and I want the best for him. To be honest with you, we did butt heads because I wanted Dez to be more accountable to this team and his teammates. And to be honest with you, a lot of the team felt that way. "I think he needs to look at himself and hold himself accountable." Shortly after his release, Bryant, who played in Dallas for eight seasons, had accused "Garrett Guys" — those loyal to head coach Jason Garrett — of being largely responsible for his ouster but never specifically named anyone. At the time, Prescott and now-retired tight end Jason Witten seemed like targets of Bryant's wrath, though both were complimentary of their ex-teammate in the days following his departure. Bryant, who remains a free agent as training camps open across the country, went on to express appreciation of other Cowboys on Friday, including Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, tweeting: "Last thing... I always been @dak @EzekielElliott @Bease11 @TerranceWill2 I can’t tag everyone but you know who you are # 1 supporters and still am.. I want them to achieve everything they got they mind on" He also circled back to Jerry Jones, saying he loved the Hall of Fame owner. So ends an eventful week for Cowboy Nation, one that began with the team reporting to camp in Oxnard, Calif., followed by controversial statements from Jerry and Stephen Jones that the club expects its players to stand for the pre-game playing of the national anthem, regardless of any league policy. Stephen Jones offered further advice in an interview Thursday when asked if his players should eschew kneeling, saying: “If they want to be a Dallas Cowboy, yes.” Earlier Friday, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins told USA TODAY Sports' Mike Jones: “I’m glad I’m not a Dallas Cowboy." Jenkins went on to say other NFL owners need to stand up to Jerry Jones. “As long as you have voices like Jerry Jones that speak and say these things, that reflects the mindset of the rest of ownership unless they decide to make as much noise as he has,” Jenkins explained. “They know (the protests have) nothing to do with (patriotism). I think that’s the most frustrating thing that they continue to push the rhetoric of anti-military and anti-America when they have walked hand-in-hand with us into communities, who have talked with us to police officers, talked with us to defense attorneys and community groups. So, they know what it is that we’re trying to accomplish.