Did the Giants release Brandon Marshall to fulfill Dez Bryant’s NFC East wish?

Are the New York Giants the favorites to land former Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant?

They certainly cleared the runway on Thursday with the release of veteran receiver Brandon Marshall.

Bryant made it clear after being released last Friday that he'd hoped to join a team in the NFC East so he could face the Cowboys twice a year and make them regret their decision to move on from him after eight seasons.

Bryant specifically mentioned the Giants as a place he'd be interested in going, according to a report.

Of course, joining the Giants seemed like a long shot at the time because of the presence of Marshall, Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard on the depth chart.

Marshall added some hate to the fire with a since-deleted Instagram story, captured by NFL Update, in an attempt to shut down Bryant's interest in the Giants,

“Sorry baby bro no room. @dezbryant.”

Well, Marshall is now gone. And the Giants gained roughly $5.1 million in salary cap space with the move.

Time will tell if the Giants are as interested in the Bryant as he is in him.

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was asked about the team’s interest in Bryant at a pre-draft news conference on Thursday and responded with, “we're interested in everybody."

The runway is clear for Bryant landing in New York.

This story was originally published April 19, 2018 at 3:29 PM with the headline "Did the Giants release Brandon Marshall to fulfill Dez Bryant’s NFC East wish?."